PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

David S. Matteson

David Matteson is a statistician whose research applies statistical methods and machine learning to complex human and natural processes. He earned a PhD in statistics from the University of Chicago and a BSB in finance, mathematics, and statistics from the University of Minnesota, then joined Cornell's ILR School in 2011. He coauthored a multivariate change-point method in 2013 and the ecp R package article in 2014, then received an NSF CAREER Award in 2015. In 2022, he launched the open access journal Data Science in Science as its founding editor-in-chief and received two research honors. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association in 2024; as of October 2026, he is a professor of statistics and data science at Cornell and director of NISS.

Now at
Cornell University and National Institute of Statistical Sciences

Timeline

  1. 2011

    Assistant professor at Cornell

    In 2011, he joins Cornell's ILR School as assistant professor of social statistics, with a joint appointment in the Faculty of Computing and Information Science. His degrees are a PhD in statistics from the University of Chicago and a BSB in finance, mathematics, and statistics from the University of Minnesota.

  2. 2013

    A multivariate change-point method

    In 2013, he coauthors with Nicholas A. James a nonparametric method that estimates the number and locations of change points in multivariate observations without assuming a particular form of distribution change.

  3. 2014

    The ecp R package

    In 2014, he coauthors with Nicholas A. James an article introducing the ecp R package for nonparametric multiple change-point analysis of multivariate data.

  4. 2015

    An NSF CAREER Award

    He receives a five-year National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2015 for his ‘New Frontiers in Time Series Analysis’ proposal.

  5. March 2022

    Launching Data Science in Science

    In March 2022, he launches Data Science in Science, an open access journal about research at the intersection of science and data science. He serves as its founding editor-in-chief.

  6. 2022

    The Bowers Research Excellence Award

    In 2022, he receives Cornell Bowers' inaugural Ann S. Bowers Research Excellence Award and the State University of New York's Chancellor's Awards for Excellence.

  7. 2024

    Fellow of two statistical societies

    In 2024, he becomes a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor at Cornell and NISS director

    In July 2025, he gives opening remarks at NISS's Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers as its director. As of October 2026, he is a professor of statistics and data science at Cornell and director of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences. His research centers on statistical methods for modeling complex human and natural processes, with expertise in dynamic, spatial, functional, and network data science and machine learning.

Career

  1. Since 2011Cornell UniversityAssistant Professor of Social Statistics
  2. NowNational Institute of Statistical SciencesDirector

Education

  1. University of ChicagoPhD
  2. University of MinnesotaBSB

From the biography.

  1. 11% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Cornell University. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduation, how waiting times compare between founders and top jobs, and which universities trained the most.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Cornell University. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorateIncludes Cornell University. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorate. Across 2,116 people with both an undergraduate degree and a doctorate recorded, we trace which undergraduate schools feed which doctoral programs, how often students stay at the same school, and how paths differ by birth-country region.
  4. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes Cornell University. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, recent citations, dual appointments and job moves across 2,420 university researchers and 308 frontier-lab researchers.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. A Broader Perspective ilr.cornell.edu. Checked 22 October 2026.
  2. David S. Matteson davidsmatteson.com. Checked 22 October 2026.
  3. A Nonparametric Approach for Multiple Change Point Analysis of Multivariate Data arxiv.org. Checked 22 October 2026.
  4. David Matteson | The ILR School ilr.cornell.edu. Checked 22 October 2026.
  5. Research and Application ilr.cornell.edu. Checked 22 October 2026.
  6. Matteson Launches 'Data Science in Science' Journal bowers.cornell.edu. Checked 22 October 2026.
  7. Kato named IMS fellow; Matteson named IMS and ASA fellow bowers.cornell.edu. Checked 22 October 2026.
  8. David S. Matteson | Department of Statistics & Data Science | Cornell Bowers stat.cornell.edu. Checked 22 October 2026.
  9. Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers 2025 - Day 1 Online | National Institute of Statistical Sciences niss.org. Checked 22 October 2026.