Plenary Speaker

Bio: Katherine Bennett Ensor is the Noah G. Harding Professor of Statistics at Rice University where she serves as director of the Center for Computational Finance and Economic Systems (cofes.rice.edu). Ensor, a leading national voice in artificial intelligence and data science, develops statistical methods for practical problems with specific interests in finance, energy, environment, health, community and risk analytics. Ensor served as the 117th president of the American Statistical Association and is a fellow of ASA, AAAS, and an elected member of ISI.  She has been recognized for her leadership, scholarship, and mentoring and, in 2021, was inducted to the Texas A&M College of Science Academy of Distinguished Former Students. In 2024 she was honored with the ASA Founder’s Award, the highest honor given by ASA to its members. She holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Texas A&M University, and an M.S. and B.S.E. in Mathematics from Arkansas State University.