Vasileios (Bill) Katsianos

PhD Candidate · The University of Chicago · Department of Statistics
George Herbert Jones Laboratory, Office 203/204 · 5747 S Ellis Ave · Chicago, IL 60637
kbill@uchicago.edu
I am currently a fifth-year PhD student in Statistics at the University of Chicago. My primary field of work lies in statistical genetics under the direction of Mary Sara McPeek. In that capacity, my main focus is on developing novel statistical methods for the association analysis of phenotypes jointly influenced by multiple organisms. Other research interests include multiple testing with dependence, graphical models, Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, time series analysis and model-based clustering.
After obtaining my Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, my love of statistics lead me to pursue a Master's degree in Statistics & Operations Research, before attending the University of Chicago. Working with other students as a lab instructor, a teaching assistant and a student consultant over the years, has infused me with a passion for introducing new generations of students to the world of statistics and providing statistical help to young researchers in a variety of fields.

Teaching Materials

Title Description Status
Mathematical Statistics Suitable for an introductory or advanced course in statistical theory. Proofs to Be Added
Simulation Suitable for a hands-on introductory or advanced simulation course. Final Version
Bayesian Statistics Tutorial Suitable for a hands-on introductory or advanced course in Bayesian inference. Final Version
Hidden Markov Models Tutorial Suitable for an advanced course in applied statistical methods, computational statistics, model-based clustering or time series analysis. Final Version
Linear Models Suitable for an introductory or advanced course in statistical methods. In Greek · Pending Translation
Introductory Applied Statistics Tutorial Suitable for an introductory course in applied statistical methods. In Progress
Advanced Applied Statistics Tutorial Suitable for an advanced course in applied statistical methods. In Progress
Linear Algebra for Statistics Suitable for an applied linear algebra or multivariate distribution theory bootcamp. In Progress
Generalized Linear Models Tutorial Suitable for an inctroductory course in categorical data analysis. Planned for the Future
Multivariate Data Analysis Tutorial Suitable for an introductory course in multivariate statistical analysis. Planned for the Future
Statistical Genetics Tutorial Suitable for an inctroductory course in statistical genetics. Planned for the Future

Experience

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Department of Statistics · University of Chicago
  • Served as a teaching assistant on the following courses: Applied Regression Analysis (3 quarters), Analysis of Categorical Data (3 quarters), Applied Linear Stat Methods (1 quarter), Nonparametric Inference (1 quarter) and Sample Surveys (1 quarter).
  • Preparing & holding R tutorials, providing students with project ideas, holding weekly office hours, responding to students' questions online, providing homework solutions, grading homeworks & exams, coordinating & monitoring other graders.
January 2020 - Present

Graduate Student Consultant

Statistics Consulting Program · University of Chicago
  • Leading consulting meetings with clients from a wide variety of disciplines such as biology, chemistry, neuroscience, ecology, anatomy, geophysics, psychology, sociology and economics.
  • Providing statistical and coding help with the clients' research projects, assisted by a team of other student consultants.
  • Regularly summarizing and presenting statistical issues discussed and solutions provided during consulting meetings in the consulting program's weekly consulting seminar.
October 2019 - Present

Graduate Laboratory Instructor

Department of Mathematics · National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Served as a lab instructor on the following courses: Computer Science with Matlab, Python & Java (5 semesters), Linear Models with R & SPSS (3 semesters), Bayesian Statistics with R (1 semester), Multivariate Data Analysis with Matlab & SPSS (1 semester) and Nonparametric Statistics with R (1 semester).
  • Prepared teaching materials with multiple examples & illustrations, provided individualized coding help & debugging, prepared lab projects, provided project solutions, graded lab projects & exams, coordinated other graders.
October 2016 - December 2020

Research Projects

Joint Association Analysis of Abundances of Two X. Arboricola Strains Co-Infecting an A. Thaliana Line
September 2023 - Present
Joint Association Analysis of Hepatitis C Pretreatment Viral Load Using Both Human and Viral Genomes
October 2021 - Present

Invited Talks

  • Graduate Student Seminar · Department of Statistics & Operations Research · UNC Chapel Hill · April 2023
    Association Analysis of Phenotypes Jointly Influenced by a Pair of Organisms
  • Monte Carlo Statistical Methods Seminar · Department of Mathematics · National & Kapodistrian University of Athens · May 2021
    Estimation of Chromatin Composition and Distribution Using MCMC Algorithms

Awards & Scholarships

  • 2021-2022 Consulting Award · Statistics Consulting Program · University of Chicago
  • 2016-2017 Graduate Excellence Scholarship · MSc in Statistics & Operations Research · National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
Analytical & Communication Skills
  • Data Analysis & Visualization
  • Teaching & Tutoring
  • Writing Statistical & Coding Tutorials
  • Public Speaking & Presenting
  • Coding Help & Debugging
  • Team Leading & Problem-Solving