Mike West Wins 2025 Jerome Sacks Award for Cross-Disciplinary Research

Elizabeth Richardson, Trinity Communications

Mike West

Mike West, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Statistical Science, was the recipient of the 2025 Jerome Sacks Award for Cross-Disciplinary Research. The award was presented by the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) at the Joint Statistics Meetings held in Nashville, TN. This prestigious award recognizes “sustained, high-quality cross-disciplinary research involving the statistical sciences.”

The award is especially meaningful at Duke, where both Jerry Sacks and Mike West left a lasting mark on the Department of Statistical Science and on the profession as a whole.

The Jerome Sacks Award was established in 2000 to honor Sacks, the founding director of NISS and later a professor of Statistical Science at Duke. A leader in the field, Sacks built his career around integrating statistical thinking into other disciplines, laying the foundation for the institute’s reputation as a national center for cross-disciplinary research.

He joined Duke’s faculty in 1992 and remained a valued member of the community long after his retirement, until his passing in early 2023.

West’s career builds on that legacy. He joined Duke in 1988, when the discipline was still housed in the Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences, where he was made director in 1990. West helped guide the department through its formative years, shaping its growth into the nationally recognized Department of Statistical Science. He also played a pivotal role in the creation and early development of NISS, working alongside Sacks to establish the institute as a leader in advancing statistics across disciplinary boundaries.

Internationally known for his contributions to Bayesian statistics, West developed innovative methods in time series analysis, dynamic modeling and computational statistics. His work has been applied in diverse fields, including economics, environmental science and biomedical research, making him one of the most influential voices in applying statistical science to real-world challenges.

By awarding Mike West the 2025 Sacks Award, NISS honors not only his individual achievements but also the Duke connections at the heart of the institute’s history. Together, Sacks and West helped lay the groundwork for the vibrant, collaborative culture that continues to define statistical science at Duke today.