I was recently asked to write a letter in support of someone being nominated as a Fellow of one of our statistical societies. The individual in question had received numerous honours, awards, and long ago had been elected a Fellow of two other societies. So my initial reaction was, how could it be possible that the person was not already a Fellow of the society in question? The answer, of course, was that no one had thought to nominate the person. That led me to wonder if I had colleagues who deserved to be Elected Members of ISI, but had never been nominated. I started asking colleagues who clearly were qualified, and found several who would love to have that honour, but had never been asked!
It’s true that you can self-nominate to be an elected member of ISI, unlike most other prestigious honours. But I’ve learned that most people are too modest to nominate themselves, which would require asking people for supporting letters. Therefore, if you are an Elected Member of ISI, I hope you will consider taking the initiative to nominate one or more of your colleagues for this honour. If you are not an Elected Member but think you deserve to be, don’t be too modest to consider a self-nomination!
How to Nominate Someone to Be an Elected Member of ISI (Including Yourself!)
Unlike some other honours, it is relatively simple to nominate someone to be an elected member of ISI. You can find an overview here, and the details and submission instructions here.
Each year, there are four nomination deadlines. The deadlines in 2025 are 27 January, 14 April, 7 July, and 22 September. Four documents are required as part of the nomination process. Templates, linked below, can be found online and then converted to PDF files. The documents with template links and required file names are:
- A biographical form to be filled out by the candidate, converted to PDF with the file name “lastname_candidateform.pdf”
- A consent form to be filled out by the candidate, converted to PDF with the filename “lastname_consentform.pdf”
- A sponsor letter from each of three current ISI Elected Members, each with the filename “lastname_sponsorname_supportingcomments.pdf”
- The candidate’s CV, with the file name “lastname_cv.pdf”
After the nomination is submitted, it is reviewed by the Membership Elections Committee. Final approval is then granted by the ISI Executive Committee.
You can find out if your colleagues are currently elected members by checking the membership directory. What are you waiting for? Nominate a deserving colleague today!
Benefits of Regular and Elected Membership in ISI
Regular and elected members of ISI share many benefits, listed on the Individual Membership page. However, elected membership is an honour and includes a few additional benefits. A non-tangible benefit is that most elected members list this honour on their CVs, in the section on honours and awards. A tangible benefit is that you may choose one free ISI Association membership. As a reminder, the seven ISI associations include specialisations in probability and mathematical statistics (Bernoulli Society), Official Statistics (IAOS), Statistical Computing (IASC), Statistical Education (IASE), Survey Statistics (IASS), Business and Industrial Statistics (ISBIS), and Environmental Sciences (TIES).
Other Awards and Prizes, including for Young Statisticians
ISI and the family of associations have numerous other awards and prizes, ranging from distinguished prizes for eminent statisticians to awards and prizes for young statisticians and new researchers. Examples include the Bernoulli Society New Researcher Award, the TIES Abdel El-Shaarawi Early Investigator Award, and the IAOS Prize for Young Statisticians. I especially encourage you to explore the web pages of our associations and nominate a young colleague for one of these honours!
