The research programme Statistical Science is concerned with the analysis and interpretation of masses of data, the quantification of uncertainty using probability models, and the development and benchmarking of algorithms and methods with these aims.

PhD candidates carry out a programme of independent research, leading to a PhD thesis in typically 4 years.

The group Statistical Science is responsible for research and teaching in statistics and data science.

The master’s programme Statistics & Data Science provides students with a thorough introduction to the general philosophy and methodology of statistical modelling and data analysis. The programme has two specialisations: Data Science and Statistical Science.

Developing and investigating statistical methods for complex data and models

Methodology and Statistics focuses on the development, evaluation and application of statistical models for the analysis of psychological research data.

Social and Behavioural Sciences, Psychology

Peter Grunwald

The programme group Research Methods and Statistics has a wide expertise in research methodology. The group offers methodological support in many projects in the field of education and child studies, and develops its own methodological research projects based on questions arising from this field.

Promotores: J.C. van Houwelingen, S.A. van de Geer

Welcome to StatiCS: the Statistical Consultation Service. The goal of the service is to provide statistical support to PhD candidates and other researchers.

Science, Mathematical Institute (MI)

Promotor: R.D. Gill, F. Taroni

Systems with local constraints is a new finding in recent researches on complex systems. The heterogeneous spatial interactions and the temporal dependencies among those numerous units make it difficult to describe by traditional statistical physics.

The Leiden University Center for Statistical Science unites the statisticians teaching and researching at Leiden University.

In the specialisation Methodology and Statistics, part of the Master in Psychology, you will focus on in-depth study of statistical theory and research methodology as well as on the acquisition of data analysis skills.

The Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences in collaboration with the Department of Methodology and Statistics and researchers in the field of Methodology and/or Statistics of the other Institutes provides training courses for PhD candidates and other researchers.

During my PhD research, I studied the photon statistics of light emitted by a microcavity that contains a single quantum dot (QD) on resonance.

What is the best way to combine the environmental and economic data and how can we create an operational system to do so, thereby supporting the delivery of data to the Data centres on Products and Resources?

Science, Mathematical Institute (MI)

Science, Mathematical Institute (MI)

Promotor: A.W. van der Vaart

Data science is now growing fast in many places, but scholars at Leiden University have been developing data science techniques for a long time already. Thanks to their broad-based expertise, Leiden statisticians are currently combining the achievements in statistics with the latest methods of statistical…

Netherlands Statistics (CBS), Leiden University and the University of Amsterdam have started a collaboration in the form of a research project titled 'Enriching official economic statistics using data-driven modelling techniques'.

Promotor: R. Gill, Co-promotor: P. Massart

Science, Mathematical Institute (MI)

Novel methods for understanding key aspects that are essential to the future of Bayesian inference for high- or infinite-dimensional models and data.

This thesis develops statistical methods for the analysis of high dimensional data: high dimensional networks reconstruction (Chapters 1-4), incorporation of prior information in networks reconstruction (Chapters 2-4), incorporation of prior knowledge in genetic association studies (Chapter 3).

Promotor: P.D. Grünwald

In astronomy, the interpration of observations and measurements plays a crucial role: we rely purely and fundamentally on the information that reaches us as observers. And 80% of all matter in the universe is undetectable directly.

Promotor: Prof.dr. G.R. de Snoo

He is said to be one of the greatest living statisticians. Bradley Efron gave a lecture in Marekerk and opened LUXs, the Leiden University Center for Statistical Science, the first university statistics centre in the Netherlands.

As of November 1st, Peter Grünwald has been appointed professor Statistical learning on a new chair hosted by both the Mathematical Institute and the Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science (LIACS).

The aim of this project is to determine in which cases uncertainty statements resulting from a Bayesian statistical analysis can be trusted.

In a recent TEDx Flanders event “Statistical Errors in Court”, Statistical Scientist Richard Gill speaks about the case of Lucia de Berk, a nurse found guilty of several murders based largely on statistics.

‘Statistics? I hated that hard subject in school’, statistician Sanne Willems is often told. And that is a pity, she thinks, because statistics doesn’t necessarily have to be difficult. Together with two former fellow students, she set up a Statistics Communication section for good communication on…

On February 15th 2018 former students in Methodology & Statistics (M&S) of Leiden University share their current and previous professional activities to provide M&S students an insight into their career perspectives.

Data science and statistics are closely linked, says Spinoza laureate and Stochastics professor Aad van der Vaart. We talk with him about the big data hype, genome research and collaboration with other disciplines. ‘Statistics helps wherever data is not perfect.’

Marta Fiocco, professor in the Mathematical Institute, has received a grant for analysing data on chemotherapy in children suffering from leukaemia. The work involves developing and applying new statistical methods that will help determining the optimal dose of chemotherapy.

From April 2022, Professor Paul Nieuwbeerta will be working one day a week as affiliated professor for Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS)). He is Professor of Criminology at the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, Leiden University.

Marta Fiocco has been appointed as of 1 April as professor of applied mathematics, in particular medical statistics. Fiocco's appointment is at the Faculty of Science and at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). She conducts research into 'personalised medicine', tailor-made medicines for cancer…

During the coronavirus pandemic, scientists were in a hurry to find drugs that would help fight the disease. To combine the research that was being carried out around the world, PhD candidate Judith ter Schure developed a new statistical method: ALL-IN meta-analysis. This helps determine sooner whether…

Italian nurse Daniela Poggiali was arrested and convicted of murdering two hospital patients in 2014. Her case attracted the attention of Leiden statistician Richard Gill. After his investigation, together with an Italian colleague, Poggiali was acquitted last autumn. Together with fellow statisticians,…

This September a new Masters Track