Kshitij Khare, Ph.D.
Professor of Statistics
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
From financial markets to medical research, modern life increasingly depends on the ability to make sense of vast, complex data. Kshitij Khare’s work makes that possible by developing new ways to understand datasets so large and intricate that traditional analytical tools often fall short.
Khare’s research tackles a central challenge of the data age: how to draw reliable conclusions when the number of variables can equal or exceed the number of observations. In settings like these, patterns are difficult to detect and easy to misinterpret. His work provides new statistical approaches that help reveal meaningful relationships within complex systems while ensuring that the results are dependable. That research is driven by the goal of making sense of large-scale, high-dimensional data, turning overwhelming information into knowledge that can inform decisions.
Rather than focusing on theory alone, Khare connects ideas to application. His research combines the development of new methods with tools that allow those methods to operate efficiently on large datasets, making them usable across a range of real-world problems. That has been especially relevant in economics and finance, where understanding how many factors interact at once is critical for anticipating risk and identifying trends.
What sets Khare apart is his ability to move seamlessly between theory, computation and application. His work has appeared in leading statistics and data science journals. At the same time, he shares his work widely through invited talks and collaborations, helping extend its influence beyond his own research group.
In his nomination, department chair Mike Daniels described Khare as a world renowned expert on inference for large-scale, high-dimensional data, noting that his ability to work across theory, computation and application is rare. He added that Khare is a highly regarded, very productive researcher, whose work and mentorship contribute significantly to the visibility and strength of the department.