The Department of Statistics hosted the 2025 ISU-NISS Conference on AI and Statistics from September 12-14, 2025, bringing together leading researchers from across the nation to explore cutting-edge developments at the intersection of artificial intelligence and statistical science. The three-day event on the Iowa State campus featured invited plenary sessions and poster presentations covering theoretical and applied advances shaping the future of both fields.
The conference program addressed a diverse range of topics including causal reasoning, online inference and streaming data, sequential decision-making, image and shape analysis, geospatial AI, and applications of machine learning and AI in forensic science and survey statistics. The breadth of topics reflected the expanding role of statistical methodology in advancing artificial intelligence research and applications.
The conference coincided with a special public lecture on Friday evening, September 12, featuring renowned statistician and author Nate Silver. In his presentation "Risk, Statistics, and the Future Use of AI" at the Great Hall of the Memorial Union, Silver explored how statistical thinking applies to emerging challenges in artificial intelligence. The lecture, moderated by department chair Dan Nettleton, drew attendees from both the conference and the broader campus community.
Speakers Included:
Bryon Aragam, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
Trent D Buskirk, Old Dominion University, School of Data Science and Department of Epi, Bio and Environmental Health
Serina Chang, University of California Berkeley, EECS and Computational Precision Health
Yang Chen, University of Michigan, Statistics
Moo Chung, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
Alex Hagen, Pacific Northwest National Lab
Heike Hofmann, CSAFE/University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Statistics
Eric Laber, Duke, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
Lan Luo, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Yang Ni, Texas A&M University, Statistics
Chris Saunders, South Dakota State University, Statistics
Shubhanshu Shekhar, University of Michigan, EECS
Lan Wang, University of Miami, Management Science
Christopher K. Wikle, University of Missouri, Statistics
Lei Zou, Texas A&M University, Geography
Organizing committee
Zhengyuan Zhu (Chair), Iowa State University, Statistics
Lynna Chu, Iowa State University, Statistics
Chunlin Li, Iowa State University, Statistics
Danica Ommen, Iowa State University, Statistics
Andrew Thomas, University of Iowa, Statistics and Actuarial Science