Judith E. (Judy) Zeh is an American statistician. She retired from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, where she spent her entire career, and is a research professor emerita of statistics at Washington. She is known for her research on

bowhead whale The bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus''), sometimes called the Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, and polar whale, is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus '' Balaena' ...

populations.

Research

Zeh's research concerns

population dynamics Population dynamics is the type of mathematics used to model and study the size and age composition of populations as dynamical systems. Population dynamics is a branch of mathematical biology, and uses mathematical techniques such as differenti ...

and population estimation. She has applied these methods more specifically, in association with the

International Whaling Commission The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a specialised regional fishery management organisation, established under the terms of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) to "provide for the proper conservation ...

, to

populations. In this application, she and her collaborator Adrian Raftery became pioneers in the use of

Bayesian statistics Bayesian statistics ( or ) is a theory in the field of statistics based on the Bayesian interpretation of probability, where probability expresses a ''degree of belief'' in an event. The degree of belief may be based on prior knowledge about ...

for population estimation. In 1999, she was elected for a three year term as chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission. She became the first woman in over 50 years in that position.

Education and career

Zeh was educated entirely at the University of Washington, where she also spent her entire academic career. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1962, and the next year began working as a computer programmer in Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory, where she remained until 1974. While employed there, she earned a second bachelor's degree in 1965 in mathematics and

numerical analysis Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation (as opposed to symbolic computation, symbolic manipulations) for the problems of mathematical analysis (as distinguished from discrete mathematics). It is the study of ...

, and a master's degree in 1969 in

mathematical statistics Mathematical statistics is the application of probability theory and other mathematical concepts to statistics, as opposed to techniques for collecting statistical data. Specific mathematical techniques that are commonly used in statistics inc ...

. From 1975 to 1979, she was a doctoral student in biomathematics; after completing her Ph.D. in 1979, she became a lecturer in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, while also working off-campus as a senior statistical analyst at Mathematical Sciences Northwest. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher, research associate, and lecturer in statistics from 1982 to 1991, when she became a research associate professor in the statistics department, with a joint appointment in the Department of Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management. From 1999 to 2004 she also held an adjunct position on Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington.

Recognition

In 1998, Zeh was elected as a

Fellow of the American Statistical Association Like many other academic professional societies, the American Statistical Association (ASA) uses the title of Fellow of the American Statistical Association as its highest honorary grade of membership. The designation of ASA Fellow has been a sign ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeh, Judith E. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American statisticians American women statisticians University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Washington faculty Fellows of the American Statistical Association Place of birth missing (living people)