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When you help someone, you become a better person yourself. That’s the philosophy of Aminat Gbadamosi, a new assistant professor in the Department of Statistics.
Gbadamosi joins George Mason University faculty after completing a PhD at Central Michigan University in statistics and analytics. Previously, she studied mathematics at Lagos State University in Nigeria. Statistics interested Gbadamosi as an undergraduate because she embraced its clear practical applications, and she noticed many non-mathematics majors were taking statistics classes with her.
“Every field you can think of, no matter what the major is, students need basic knowledge of statistics,” she said.
This semester, Gbadamosi teaches students throughout George Mason in Introductory Statistics I and throughout the College of Engineering and Computing in Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists.
Interest in Data Analytics
In graduate school, Gbadamosi examined big data analytics for risk management in insurance and developed an interest in actuarial science. Her doctoral dissertation involved applying probability distributions to the actuarial field, trying to make predictions related to risk, particularly concerning skewed datasets.
Gbadamosi developed statistical distributions based on insurance data called skewed data, she explained. For example, regarding claims data, while most claims are relatively low, say, $500, a few claims are larger, say, $50,000. It is these higher, tail end datapoints that the insurance company wants to be able to predict and prepare for.
“Because that is what can make a company bankrupt,” she said. “So, I built two different statistical distributions that can be used to model such data to make accurate predictions and decisions. Then I also studied different properties of those distributions.”
Embracing Academia
Gbadamosi decided to pursue a career in academia for three reasons: She believes she improves herself when she has the opportunity help others; she wants to continue exploring her research interests; and she wants to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
“I want to be around students, contribute positively, and develop myself in that process,” she said, adding that her experiences with new colleagues have already helped her settle into her role.
She also chose academia as a means of continuing to explore other specializations, saying, “There are some other research areas I'm interested in, and taking an industry job is going to restrict me, because I would be restricted to whatever they're doing in that sector.” She is especially interested in understanding medical statistics, such as clinical trial analysis, as statistics underpin so much medical advancement.
Finally, she said, “I want something that would give me like a work-life balance, not something too overwhelming. I want to be in control of my time to an extent.”