Hamparsum Bozdogan received an award for his academic contributions at the International Conference on Information Complexity and Statistical Modeling in High Dimensions with Applications (IC-SMHD-2016) last month. Bozdogan was one of five globally renowned statisticians to keynote the conference in Cappadocia, Turkey.

“This conference provided a wonderful opportunity to foster collaboration among top scholars who span the globe,” Bozdogan said. “I believe we achieved our intended theme of advancing the field a step beyond its current boundaries by bringing researchers together to create value and develop long-lasting relationships.”

Ninety academics from 16 countries presented their work during the conference. The event opened with a special ceremony honoring Bozdogan for his work in the domain of information complexity and model selection in high dimensions, as well as his dedication to future scholars in the field.

“Hamparsum has dedicated his career to the creation and dissemination of knowledge through his scholarly research, his teachings and his personal and professional mentorship of many Ph.D. students,” Charles Noon, head of the Business and Analytics Department, said. “He has also developed and maintained the special relationship that exists between our respective research communities in Tennessee and Turkey.“

Professor Olcay Arslan from Ankara University in Turkey chaired the conference, with Esra Pamukçu and Elçin Kartal Koç, doctoral and post-doctoral students of Bozdogan’s, coordinating the program and the award.

Bozdogan helped found several statistical modeling conferences at the University of Tennessee and in Turkey. He has mentored and produced more than 20 domestic and international doctoral students. He has held the McKenzie Endowed Professorship at the Haslam College of Business since 1999.

In his research, Bozdogan uses statistical modeling to help medical diagnoses. He has edited six books and currently is writing two textbooks. He has published 70 articles on statistical modeling and model selection with applications to data mining. His data analytics work has provided new prognostic tools in healthcare analytics and benefitted early detection of illnesses from heart disease to breast cancer, as well as other societal applications.