Last month, Professor Alan Welsh from The Australian National University (ANU) was awarded one of Australia’s most prestigious research recognitions – the Moyal medal.

The Moyal medal honours distinguished research contributions in mathematics, physics, or statistics, in tribute to the late Professor José Enrique Moyal, who was one of Australia’s most remarkable scientists.

Alan received the accolade for his work in statistics, a discipline that he has dedicated his career to since initially enrolling in a science degree as a young man. He found himself drawn to mathematics and finally discovered statistics – the perfect mix of mathematical theory, philosophy and practical application.

“I am very pleased and honoured to be awarded the 2024 Moyal medal,” he shares.

The connection to ANU is not the only thing Alan has in common with José Moyal; he shares an almost-familial link – through former ANU Professor of Statistics, Chip Heathcote.

“José held an appointment in the Institute of Advanced Studies Department of Statistics at ANU, and during the late 1950s, he supervised the PhD of Chip Heathcote,” says Alan.

“Chip, who went on to become a Professor of Statistics at ANU from 1971–1996, was one of my PhD supervisors, so José could be described as one of my statistical grandfathers. This nice connection makes the award special to me.”

Internationally renowned for his research on statistical inference, statistical modelling and robustness, and the analysis of sample surveys, Alan is the E.J. Hannan Professor of Statistics and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, the American Statistical Association and the Australian Mathematical Society.

And while Alan is proud of the recognition and honours he has received for his work, he is equally pleased with his achievements made out of the spotlight.

“I am proud of the quiet moments where I made a breakthrough, suddenly understood something, and for a short while was the only person who had that understanding.”

Currently, Alan enjoys being involved in a number of research projects and collaborates with colleagues, post-doc students, and PhD candidates. His work ranges from the abstract – exploring complex statistical modelling and methodologies, to the tangible – modelling rainfall and the behaviour of wind around fires, and evaluating rainfall enhancement.

These varied projects all have something in common – to benefit society through statistics.

“My projects around modelling rainfall and wind behaviour potentially have very direct impacts on society; the more abstract projects have indirect but important impacts through enhancing our understanding and insight into the strengths and weaknesses of statistical methods,” says Alan.

Professor Steve Sault, Director of Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Statistics in ANU College of Business and Economics, congratulates Alan on receiving the Moyal medal.

"This is very well-deserved recognition of Alan’s research excellence. The School is proud of Alan for both receiving this award and his dedication to statistics research and mentoring throughout his career," Professor Sault says.

This article first appeared at ANU College of Business and Economics.