COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Department of Mathematics and Statistics

2019 WSU President's Award Recipient



Dr. Nairanjana (Jan) Dasgupta

American Statistical Association (ASA), Elected-Fellow

Boeing Science/Math Education Distinguished Professor in Mathematics and Statistics


Dr. Nairanjana (Jan) Dasgupta is a 2019 President's Award recipient. She will be honored on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at an event in the CUB Senior Ballroom.

The President's Award is an honor given to those individuals who advance leadership and engagement at WSU and beyond. Recipients of this prestigious award demonstrate exceptional leadership and service to students, WSU, and our community.

Dr. Dasgupta received her Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of South Carolina (USC) and joined the faculty ranks of WSU that same year. She soon established herself as a highly successful researcher in the area of applied statitics with a a strong committment toward interdisciplinary outreach. This helped her to develop several highly productive working relationships and collaborations both within WSU as well as with some leading industries in the Pacific Northwest area, among them being Boeing in Seattle, Washington.

In addition to teaching full time and conducting research, Dr. Dasgupta has been an advisor and master's degree committee chair to 62 master's degree students and is currently advising 5 Ph.D. students. Dr. Dasgupta has been tireless in her advising, advocating, and care of graduate students, routinely going above and beyond to help them succeed in their academic career and undertakings. She does this cheerfully with a positive "can-do" and inspiring attitude. She encourages her students to collaborate with others, form long-term working relationships, and has been instrumental in helping them obtain job internships and launch careers in education and industry. Once students have graduated and moved on she stays in touch with them, continuing to mentor them as they succeed in their various career paths. Her students characterize her as "charming, engaging, warm, caring, positive, and generous."

In addition to caring for so many students she has been a mentor to 4 new department faculty members and has been instrumental in the establishment of an Interdisciplinary Data Analytics degree at WSU. Dr. Dasgupta is the founder and director of the WSU Center of Interdisciplinary Statistical Education and Research (CISER), overseeing 4 individuals and facilitating interdisciplinary research collaborations throughout WSU.