When I took over the ISI presidency at the WSC 2023 in Ottawa, Canada, I reiterated the four strategic priorities for ISI. As the most influential global statistical organization, ISI aims to facilitate better networking and communications, increase the public voice of statistics, promote capacity development worldwide, and ensure the financial sustainability of our institute. I shared my belief that we could achieve more by engaging everyone and supporting each other. This has been the path traveled by ISI and its seven Associations, and I am grateful to the ISI leadership team, the ISI Permanent Office staff, and our many members and friends for their generous support of our common cause.
Two years have passed, and we are now approaching the 65th ISI World Statistics Congress, which will take place in The Hague, 5-9 October 2025. Today, I would like to offer a quick preview of WSC 2025. This exciting global event for Statistics and Data Science will bring approximately 1,500 delegates from around the world. Statisticians from academia, official statistics, central banks, and private sector businesses will come together to share ideas, discuss challenges, and envision the statistical future.
Keynote Speakers:
I am pleased to announce that Professor Bhramar Mukherjee from Yale University will be our President's Invited Speaker in a plenary session this year. Drawing from her personal and professional experiences, Professor Mukherjee will argue that even in a world consumed by AI agents, the foundational pillars of ISI – Ethics, Community, Communication, and Capacity Building – are critical to our profession, individual careers, and collective survival. Two additional keynote speakers are Professor Ionica Smeets, Chair of the Science Communication and Society Department at Leiden University, and Ed Humpherson, Head of the UK’s Office for Statistics Regulation. They are also eager to meet you all at the WSC.
Prizes and Awards:
At the WSC, we will hold award ceremonies to honor some of our outstanding fellow statisticians. Grace Wahba, the recipient of the International Prize in Statistics, will be there to receive her prize and talk about her career and her work. Awarded biennially at the ISI World Statistics Congress, the International Prize in Statistics is stewarded and managed by a foundation comprising representatives of five major statistical organizations: the American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, International Biometric Society, International Statistical Institute, and Royal Statistical Society. Other ISI awards to be celebrated include the 2025 ISI Mahalanobis International Award and the 2025 Founders of Statistics Prize. I will also be announcing the establishment of a significant new ISI Award at this WSC.
Networking:
We will host an ISI Member’s Reception where you can connect with fellow ISI members. Drinks and canapés will be provided, thanks to the generous co-sponsorship by Columbia University (New York City), Institute of Statistical Science Academia Sinica (Taipei), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Purdue University (West Lafayette), Tsinghua University (Beijing), and World Scientific Publishing (Singapore). Enjoy the Welcome Reception for all delegates following the opening ceremony, and share in the delightful flavors and dance at the Gala Dinner. There will also be special roundtable discussions followed by a drink at the Young Statisticians’ Event and at the Women in Statistics Event, both organized by the respective ISI Committees.
Scientific Program:
I am particularly proud of the scientific program at WSC, thanks to the overwhelming response from session proposers and organizers and the hard work of the Scientific Program Committee, chaired by Professor Adrian Röllin from the National University of Singapore. With over 160 Special and Invited Paper Sessions and over 80 Contributed Paper or Poster Sessions, you will hear presentations from hundreds of speakers and presenters on a wide range of topics, from artificial intelligence to bioinformatics, causal inference to data privacy, education to federated learning, and much more.
The ISI General Assembly:
The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of ISI, and I encourage all individual ISI members to attend. We need to formally approve changes to the ISI Statutes after an electronic vote prior to the Assembly. As detailed in my March article (https://isi-web.org/article/revision-isi-statutes-and-laws), the update is essential for ensuring strong governance and orderly operations of ISI under current regulatory environments and technology platforms. You will also hear from all the Association Presidents and me for a round-up of what we have accomplished together in the past year. I look forward to seeing you all in The Hague.
