The 2026 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM 2026) took place in Boston from August 1 to 6, 2026. As the largest academic gathering in the global statistics community, this year' s conference attracted leading scholars and industry experts from around the world. During the event, the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Tsinghua University actively built bridges for international dialogue by hosting a dedicated exchange session and setting up a disciplinary exhibition booth, presenting a comprehensive picture of its ongoing development and further strengthening its deep connections with peers worldwide.
On the evening of August 3, local time, the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Tsinghua University held its dedicated exchange session in Boston. Tsinghua alumni and friends from academia, industry, and various research institutions attended the event, where discussions proceeded in a warm and animated atmosphere.
Liu Jun, Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Xinghua Distinguished Chair Professor at Tsinghua University, and Department Head of the Department of Statistics and Data Science, delivered remarks on behalf of the department. He expressed his gratitude to alumni, scholars, and experts both in China and abroad for their enduring care and support for the development of statistics and data science at Tsinghua, and provided an overview of the significant progress the discipline has achieved in recent years in talent cultivation, scientific research, and international collaboration. He noted that statistics and data science are now at a critical stage of rapid advancement, and that Tsinghua's statistics discipline will continue to promote deep interdisciplinary integration in fields such as statistics and AI, nurture future-oriented, high-level talent in statistics and data science, and actively contribute to the nation's scientific and technological innovation and social development.
Jun Liu speaking at the event
Academician Songxi Chen—a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinghua Chair Professor at Tsinghua University, and Dean of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science at Tsinghua University—then offered his remarks. He discussed the latest trends in data science and the key directions for interdisciplinary integration, sharing Tsinghua University's explorations and practices in cross-disciplinary research across statistics and data science. He observed that in the AI era, statistics and data science will assume an even more significant role in scientific discovery, industrial innovation, and national governance, and expressed his desire to deepen exchanges and collaboration with the global academic community in advancing statistical science. Academician Chen also used the occasion to warmly encourage statisticians around the world to take part in the National Joint Conference on Statistics and Data Science, which is held annually in China.
Songxi Chen speaking at the event
The event was proceeded in a lively atmosphere, with guests engaging in in-depth discussions on topics such as the development of the statistics discipline, international research collaboration, talent development, and the growth of young scholars. Tsinghua statistics alumni from different generations gathered in Boston across distances to reminisce about their student days, share research achievements, and exchange views on the future of the discipline.
Attendees interacting
During the Joint Statistical Meetings, experts in statistics and data science from Tsinghua also took an active part in international academic exchange activities. Professors Jun Liu and Songxi Chen were invited to a statistics and intelligent science symposium dinner co-hosted by Harvard University, Princeton University, and Pennsylvania State University, where they each delivered brief remarks and exchanged views with scholars and experts from the international statistical community on frontier trends in the integration of statistics and artificial intelligence.
Scene from the symposium dinner on statistics and intelligent science
During the exhibition, numerous international scholars visited the Tsinghua booth for exchanges, engaging in in-depth discussions on topics such as faculty recruitment, postdoctoral training, graduate education, and research collaboration projects. Scholars from home and abroad actively sought to learn about the development of Tsinghua's Department of Statistics and Data Science. Tsinghua's representatives and student volunteers warmly received visiting guests, showcasing the department's distinctive strengths and development achievements, further enhancing international peers' understanding of the department.
The Tsinghua booth for the Department of Statistics and Data Science
The JSM 2026 event series served not merely as a significant platform for the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Tsinghua University to present its own development, but also as a pivotal measure for deepening its integration into the global academic network, mobilizing alumni resources, and recruiting outstanding talent. Through direct dialogue with leading international scholars, Tsinghua's statistics discipline further defined its strategic orientation in the era of data intelligence: namely, driven by interdisciplinary convergence, anchored in original innovation, and committed to serving society.
Looking ahead, the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Tsinghua University will continue to expand the depth and breadth of its international cooperation, build a more resilient global academic community, and contribute more substantial Tsinghua wisdom to the frontier exploration of statistical science and the nation's digital transformation.
Edited by Yushan Hou, Qiming Liu
Reviewed by Lin Hou, Lefei Li
