Graduate Student Subrata Pal Places 2nd in an ASA Student Paper Competition

Sabrata Pal

The Department of Statistics is pleased to announce that graduate student Subrata Pal has been awarded 2nd place in the 2025 ASA Medical Device and Diagnostics Section Student Paper Competition. His paper, “Tensor-on-Tensor Time Series Regression for Integrated One-step Analysis of fMRI Data,” proposes a groundbreaking methodology for analyzing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data.

Pal has developed a one-stage tensor-variate regression framework that integrates the analysis of large, structured fMRI datasets. This approach addresses key challenges in activation detection studies by unifying the modeling of time-varying stimuli and spatial context into a single, computationally efficient step. The research represents a significant advancement over traditional two-stage methods, with potential wide-ranging implications in the field.

Pal holds a Master in Statistics (2018) and a Bachelor in Statistics (Hons) (2016) from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. His research interests include Computational and Spatial Statistics, Tensor-variate Data, Machine Learning, and Matrix-free Methods.

This recognition follows Pal’s prior achievement as a winner in the 2023 ASA Section on Statistical Computing and Graphics competition.

The department congratulates Subrata Pal on this well-deserved honor and his continued contributions to statistical research.