Jun Yang receives the 2025 Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award
Assistant Professor (tenure-track) Jun Yang has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award, presented by the Junior Section of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis.
The award recognises “outstanding junior Bayesian researchers based on their overall contribution to the field and to the community.”
“We are delighted that Jun was given the Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award. Jun’s outstanding work on Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms has solved important computational problems in Bayesian statistics, and Jun has brought novel research directions and ideas to the department as well as to the Bayesian community,” says Professor Niels Richard Hansen, Head of Section.
“I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition from the Bayesian community. Although Bayesian statistics has not traditionally been a major focus of our department, this award provides an opportunity to strengthen our department’s connection with the broader international research network in Bayesian statistics,” says Jun.
The award is named in honour of David H. Blackwell and Arianna W. Rosenbluth, two pioneers whose work forms the foundation of modern Bayesian statistics and computation. Blackwell was a leading figure in decision theory and the first African American elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Rosenbluth, who implemented the first Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, played a pivotal role in the early history of scientific computing.
“It is inspiring that this award commemorates researchers who advanced both the science and inclusivity of our field,” Jun adds. “Their legacies remind us of the importance of diversity and openness in research.”
Read more about the Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award and the two pioneering scientists who lend their names to the prize.