Dr. Scott Crawford Appointed Co-Chair of the MSDS Program

The Department of Statistics announced that Dr. Scott Crawford will assume the role of Director of Master’s Programs and co-chair for the Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) degree program. He succeeds Dr. Derya Akleman, Instructional Professor in the Department of Statistics, who is stepping down after several years of leadership and service to the program.

Since 2020, Dr. Akleman has served as Director of the master’s and certificate programs. She has played a key role in developing and stewarding the department’s graduate offerings and has contributed to research on causal relationships in economics and the sciences. Her extensive experience in teaching and program leadership at Texas A&M, including roles dating back to 1998, has helped shape the MSDS curriculum and the student experience.

The Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS) and the broader MSDS community thank Dr. Akleman for her years of dedication to students and faculty. As co-chair of the MSDS program, alongside Dr. Nick Duffield, she helped guide the program through growth and continued refinement. The department thanks her for her leadership and service during this transition.

Dr. Crawford brings a strong combination of research, teaching, and applied consulting experience to his new position as co-chair of the MSDS program. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Southern Utah University, an M.S. in statistics from Brigham Young University, and a Ph.D. in statistics from Texas A&M (2012). His doctoral work on efficient estimation with missing responses addressed practical challenges in survey and observational research. After eight years of teaching at the University of Wyoming, he returned to Texas A&M in 2020 and served as Director of the Statistical Consulting Center from 2021–2024 and continues to serve on the consulting committee.

TAMIDS looks forward to continued excellence in the MSDS program under Dr. Crawford’s leadership.