Mathematics and Statistics

Dr Chaitra Nagaraja

Dr Chaitra Nagaraja

Senior Lecturer
Mathematics and Statistics

My research interests are primarily in measurement, particularly macroeconomic and socioeconomic indicators, time series, order statistics, and the history of statistics. I managed to combine all three in my 2019 book, Measuring Society. The book is a history of US official statistics like unemployment, inflation, and poverty. Prior to joining Exeter, I was a faculty member at the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University in New York City and a research mathematical statistician at the U.S Census Bureau, focusing on the American Community Survey. I completed my PhD in statistics at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Lawrence D. Brown; my undergraduate degree was in mathematics with specialisation in economics from the University of Chicago. In 2020, I became an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. 

In addition to my university research and teaching, I currently serve as a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Panel for Labour Market Statistics at the Office for National Statistics; am Meetings Secretary for the Royal Statistical Society’s History of Statistics Section, am the Research Ethics Officer for my department; and am the co-editor of the history of statistics column, "History Chronicles," in CHANCE magazine.  Previously, I served on the American Statistical Association’s Scientific and Public Affairs Advisory Committee (2020-2025, Chair from 2022-2025) and was the book review editor for the International Statistical Review. 

For a gentle introduction to measurement, check out the following:

 

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