A Conversation with George C. Tiao

TL;DR

This paper is an interview with George C. Tiao, highlighting his contributions to Bayesian statistics, time series analysis, and environmental statistics, along with his academic career and influence in the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of George Tiao's pioneering work and leadership in developing key statistical methods and fostering international statistical communities.

Findings

Led development of Bayesian inference in statistics

Contributed to seasonal adjustment and outlier analysis in time series

Founded the International Chinese Statistical Association

Abstract

George C. Tiao was born in London in 1933. After graduating with a B.A. in Economics from National Taiwan University in 1955 he went to the US to obtain an M.B.A from New York University in 1958 and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1962. From 1962 to 1982 he was Assistant, Associate, Professor and Bascom Professor of Statistics and Business at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and in the period 1973--1975 was Chairman of the Department of Statistics. He moved to the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago in 1982 and is the W. Allen Wallis Professor of Econometrics and Statistics (emeritus). George Tiao has played a leading role in the development of Bayesian Statistics, Time Series Analysis and Environmental Statistics. He is co-author, with G.E.P. Box, of Bayesian Inference in Statistical Analysis and is the developer of a model-based approach to seasonal adjustment (with S. C. Hillmer), of outlier analysis in time series (with I. Chang), and of new ways of vector ARMA model building (with R. S. Tsay). He is the author/co-author/co-editor of 7 books and over 120 articles in refereed econometric, environmental and statistical journals and has been thesis advisor of over 25 students. He is a leading figure in the development of Statistics in Taiwan and China and is the Founding President of the International Chinese Statistical Association 1987--1988 and the Founding Chair Editor of the journal Statistica Sinica 1988--1993. He played a leading role (over the 20 year period 1979--1999) in the organization of the annual NBER/NSF Time Series Workshop and he was a founding member of the annual conference "Making Statistics More Effective in Schools of Business" 1986--2006.