Bio
Dr. Sallie Ann Keller is an endowed Distinguished Professor in Biocomplexity, Director of the Social and Decision Analytics Division within the Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative at University of Virginia and Professor of Public Health Sciences. Her areas of expertise are social and decision informatics, statistical underpinnings of data science, and data access and confidentiality. Dr. Keller’s is a leading voice in creating the science of all data and advancing this research across disciplines to benefit society.
Her prior positions include Professor of Statistics and Director of the Social and Decision Analytics Laboratory within the Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech; Academic Vice-President and Provost at University of Waterloo; Director of the Institute for Defense Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute; the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering at Rice University; Head of the Statistical Sciences group at Los Alamos National Laboratory; Professor of Statistics at Kansas State University; and Statistics Program Director at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Keller is an Elected Member of the National Academy of Engineering. She has served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Mathematical Sciences and Their Applications, the Committee on National Statistics, and has chaired the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics. She is fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, elected member of the International Statistics Institute, fellow and past president of the American Statistical Association, and member of the JASON advisory group.
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The science of all data
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Social and decision informatics
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Statistical underpinnings of data science
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Data access and confidentiality
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Ph.D. in Statistics, Iowa State University of Science and Technology
M.S. in Mathematics, University of South Florida
B.S. in Mathematics, University of South Florida
Awards and Honors
- Elected Member of International Statistical Institute
2012 - Jerome Sacks Award for Outstanding Cross-Disciplinary Research, National Institute of Statistical Sciences
2010 - John V. Atanasoff Research and Discovery Award, Iowa State University
2009 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
2005 - National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
2002 - Founder’s Award American Statistical Association
2002 - Fellow of the American Statistical Association
1997 - Director’s Award for Outstanding Program Management, National Science Foundation
1996
On January 29, during a virtual ceremony over Zoom, the University of Virginia honored and recognized faculty members for their outstanding contributions to their fields and the impact of their research and scholarly activities at the annual Research Achievement Awards.

A research team across three states is seizing the opportunity to share their aspiration to create a data-driven National Community Learning Network to support economic mobility.
Over the last five summers, students from across the country have come together at the Biocomplexity Institute’s Arlington, Va. location for the Data Science for the Public Good (DSPG) Young Scholars program – an 11-week immersive research program through which students gain world-class, hands-on professional experience combining data science and public service. This year, as the world continues to evolve due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has followed suit, adopting an entirely virtual format for the first time.
Sallie Keller was recognized “for development and application of engineering and statistical techniques in support of national security and industry.”

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected 87 new members and 18 international members, announced NAE President John L. Anderson today.

Today’s data revolution is not just about big data, it is about data of all sizes and types.

From local neighborhoods and schools to courtrooms, hospitals, fields, and forests, data are everywhere, providing us the power to solve problems like never before. Communities large and small now have access to a wealth of data they can use to assess conditions, develop strategies and policies, evaluate impact, and make critical decisions. However, not all communities – particularly those that are small or rural – have the expertise or resources necessary to access and leverage complex data for real-world benefits.
DSPG Program Expansion Advances Data Science Application in Support of Rural Prosperity
The University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute is pleased to announce Dr. Sallie Ann Keller, director of the Social and Decision Analytics Division, and Dr. Madhav V. Marathe, director of the Network Systems Science and Advanced Computing Division, have been appointed to Distinguished Professorships in Biocomplexity.
Last Friday marked the launch of the University of Virginia’s Data Science for the Public Good Distinguished Speaker Series with Martin O’Malley, former mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, as its inaugural speaker.