UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Aleksandra "Seša" Slavković, professor of statistics and public health sciences and associate dean for graduate education in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State, has been appointed Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Data Privacy and Confidentiality. 

Slavković’s primary research interest focuses on methodological advancements in data privacy to ensure the confidentiality of information in small and large-scale surveys, health, genomic, economic and network data. Her research directly involves the synergy of statistics and computer science to achieve formal data privacy protection with guarantees of accurate statistical inferences that will support public policy and scientific discovery.

“It’s a privilege and a great honor to be appointed as the first Huck Chair in Data Privacy and Confidentiality,” says Slavković. “Many problems in modern society and information infrastructure revolve around data privacy. Solutions to such problems require the kind of highly interdisciplinary research that the Huck excels at supporting.”

Murali Haran, professor and head of the Department of Statistics, said, “Dr. Slavković is one of the leading privacy and data confidentiality researchers in the world. In addition, she has an outstanding record of service to the department, the college and to the University as associate dean.”

Slavković’s current Huck affiliations include the Bioinformatics and Genomics graduate degree program and the Center for Statistical Genetics. In her role as associate dean for graduate education in the Eberly College of Science, she maintains an environment that supports students and faculty in their collaborations to advance studies in statistical data privacy.

“Novel solutions require integrating the computationally focused, mathematically provable and rigorous definitions of privacy emanating from computer science, such as differential privacy, with notions of data utility and inference from statistics.” says Slavković. “This Huck Chair will enable me, my students and collaborators to continue to foster novel interdisciplinary research and educational efforts in statistical data privacy at Penn State and beyond.”

Slavković completed a doctorate in statistics in 2004, a master of science degree in statistics in 2001, and a master's degree in human-computer interaction in 1999, all from Carnegie Mellon University. 

“Data privacy is an area of ever-increasing importance to maintaining the integrity of our research enterprise as well as safeguarding privacy of all citizens,” says Troy Ott, acting director of the Huck Institutes. “We are delighted to be able to recognize Dr. Aleksandra Slavković’s scholarship and leadership at Penn State with the Huck Chair in Data Privacy and Confidentiality.”