Tsinghua University boasts a profound legacy in statistics and related fields. Professor Baolu Xu, a pioneer of probability and statistics in China, transferred to Tsinghua in 1930 to study mathematics and graduated from the Department of Mathematics in 1933. He became one of China’s earliest scholars to achieve world-class excellence in probability theory and mathematical statistics. In 1979, Tsinghua reestablished its Department of Mathematics, strengthening disciplines such as probability and statistics and nurturing a cohort of distinguished statisticians, including Academician Xihong Lin.

Since 2000, Professors Yuanlie Lin and Ying Yang have played pivotal roles in advancing statistical disciplines. Their efforts culminated in 2008 with the establishment of the “Statistics Chair Professors Group” led by Harvard Professor Jun Liu, which enriched Tsinghua’s statistical research and education through lectures and specialized courses. In 2011, Tsinghua University was granted the first-tier doctoral program in Statistics, followed by the inauguration of the Center for Statistical Science in 2015. Decades of dedication have propelled Tsinghua’s statistics discipline to remarkable progress in academic research, disciplinary development, talent cultivation, and societal impact, with distinctive strengths in mathematical statistics, biostatistics, statistical machine learning, economic and financial statistics, industrial statistics and operations research, and interdisciplinary data science.

In July 2024, Tsinghua University established the Department of Statistics and Data Science, a significant initiative to optimize academic disciplines and serve national strategies. In the future, the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Tsinghua University will closely align with the national big data strategy, the initiatives on artificial intelligence, and the Overall Layout Plan for Building a Digital China guided by the strategic direction of “four orientations”. The department will focus on addressing major national demands, strategic priorities, and key sectors, aiming to cultivate internationally top-tier, comprehensive, and innovative high-level talents in the fields of statistics and data science. With a global perspective and benchmarking against world-class standards, the department will strive to establish itself as a renowned academic hub integrating production, education, and research, both domestically and internationally.