Kelsey Erin Grinde, PhD
 |
I am an Assistant Professor of Statistics in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at Macalester College. Statistics is an inherently collaborative, interdisciplinary field, and I love how this is reflected in the makeup of student backgrounds and interests in our statistics courses at Macalester. My research focuses on developing and applying statistical methods to answer questions about human health and genetics. Most recently, my work has focused on genetic studies in admixed populations—populations with mixed and diverse ancestry such as African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos—which have been vastly underrepresented in genetics research to date. For example, one of my recent projects developed methods and a corresponding R package (the latter of which involved collaboration with a Macalester student) for controlling for multiple testing in genome-wide admixture mapping studies. Methodologically, I am particularly interested in addressing the statistical challenges posed by genetic data, such as their high dimensional nature, sparsity, and complicated correlation structure, as well as concerns about confounding and collider bias that can arise in these studies. In general, I strive to ensure that my applied and methodological work is grounded in a deep understanding of the context (scientific, ethical, etc.) surrounding the data with which I am working. This often involves close collaboration with experts in other disciplines and, whenever possible, undergraduate students. I enjoy talking to current and prospective students about research, graduate programs, and careers in (bio)statistics. If you are a student who would like to learn more about the opportunities in this field — and why I love working in it — please get in touch (kgrinde at macalester dot edu) and/or check out the resources below:
|