The history of statistics at Southeast University has deep roots. In 1921, Professor Xiong Qinglai founded the Department of Mathematics at National Southeast University. In 1945, Wu Youxun, then President of Central University, appointed Professor Tang Peijing as Academic Affairs Dean. In 1947, eight departments including the Department of Mathematics formed the College of Science, with Professor Tang Peijing serving as Department Head of Mathematics. A statistics group was established within the Department of Mathematics, laying the foundation for the future development of the statistics discipline. During the periods of National Southeast University and Central University, a number of outstanding statisticians emerged, including Wu Dingliang, Huang Zuyu, and Ai Wei.
After the reform and opening-up, under the careful guidance of Professor Wei Bocheng and many other scholars, through the unremitting efforts of several generations, the statistics discipline has cultivated a large number of young talents and pillars of the field. Among the graduates, renowned statisticians such as Yao Qiwei, Shi Jianqing, Zhu Hongtu, Wu Yuehua, Tang Niansheng, Zhu Zhongyi, and Lin Jinguan have emerged, enjoying high reputation both domestically and internationally, and making outstanding contributions to China's statistical cause.
After a century of trials and tribulations, the statistics discipline reached a new milestone on December 12, 2024 — the formal establishment of the School of Statistics and Data Science. The School will uphold fine traditions, build on the past while opening up the future, and is committed to building a first-class teaching and research team with strong faculty, comprehensive disciplines, and significant influence both domestically and internationally. It is dedicated to strengthening interdisciplinary integration, promoting innovative development of the statistics discipline, and cultivating more high-level talents and contributing more original research achievements for national economic and social development and the advent of the big data era.
The School currently has 17 faculty and staff members, including 6 administrative personnel and 11 teachers (including 5 professors, 5 young teachers, and 1 data engineer). The School has a high-level faculty team, with 2 teachers selected for national talent programs, 1 recipient of provincial/ministerial talent titles, and 3 serving as editorial board members or associate editors of international journals. The School comprises the Department of Theoretical Statistics, Department of Applied Statistics, Department of Data Science, and Big Data Center. The School is applying for doctoral degree authorization and is expected to gradually offer undergraduate and master's programs in Statistics, Data Science and Big Data Technology.
