Geisser Lecture
117 Pleasant St SE
Minneapolis,
MN
55455
School of Statistics Geisser Lecture
The Seymour Geisser Distinguished Lecture was established by the School of Statistics at the University of Minnesota to honor the memory and contributions of Seymour Geisser. As the founding Director of the School of Statistics, Geisser served from 1971 to 2001, shaping the field and leaving a lasting legacy through his leadership. The annual lecture series brings together experts to celebrate Geisser’s impact on statistical theory and practice, continuing his mission of advancing statistical knowledge and research. This event commemorates his 30-year tenure and ongoing influence on the School.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Murali Haran from Penn State University. Dr. Haran is a distinguished former student of Dr. Geisser and earned his Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Minnesota.
Murali Haran, Penn State University
Murali Haran is Professor of Statistics at Penn State University. He holds a PhD in Statistics from the University of Minnesota and a BS in Computer Science (with minors in Statistics, Mathematics, and Film Studies) from Carnegie Mellon University. His research focuses on Monte Carlo algorithms, statistical analysis of complex computer models, spatial data modeling, and interdisciplinary applications in climate science and infectious disease modeling. Haran's methodological contributions include advances in Markov chain Monte Carlo for spatial models and intractable normalizing constants, methods for high-dimensional non-Gaussian spatial data, and uncertainty quantification for simulation models. His scientific work has addressed the future of the Antarctic ice sheet, flood hazards via hydrology models, vaccination and environmental effects on infectious disease spread, and estimating disease burden from multiple imperfect data sources. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and recipient of the 2015 El Shaarawi Young Researcher Award from the International Environmetrics Society. Haran served as Head of Penn State’s Department of Statistics from 2018 to 2024 and will begin a three-year term as Editor of the Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics (JABES) in 2026.