Message from the Head
Professor George Athanasopoulos.
Welcome to the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics (EBS) at Monash Business School. Our department – the only dedicated department of this kind in Australia – boasts the largest concentration of econometricians and statisticians in the region.
In an age of ‘big data’ and as a global leader in the field, we understand the critical need for Australia and the world to have specialists with the mathematical and analytical skills required to solve complex problems and we train our students along these lines. Our expertise spans most areas of econometrics and statistics, including actuarial science and big data analytics.
Thought leaders
A significant number of our academic staff have been elected fellows of prestigious scientific academies such as the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Australian Academy of Science, the American Statistical Association, the Econometric Society, the International Association for Applied Econometrics, and the International Institute of Forecasters.
Many of our staff have also been selected as editors and associate editors of prestigious international academic journals such as the International Journal of Forecasting, the Journal of Applied Econometrics, the Journal of Econometrics, the R Journal and the Journal of Statistical Software, among many others. This means our Department has the opportunity to significantly inform and influence debate in our field.
I am fortunate to be Head of such a dynamic team of academics known to be international leaders in their field. To take three such examples, Professor Jiti Gao is internationally renowned for his research on nonparametric methods in econometrics and statistics, Professor Dianne Cook is one of the world's leading figures in the field of data visualization, Professor Rob Hyndman is the world leading authority in forecasting both academia and industry.
The department thrives on having a strong international network with regular visits from top overseas researchers such as Professor Oliver Linton from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and Professor Galit Shmueli from National Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
Impactful research
Our work has modelled and predicted Covid cases throughout the pandemic, advising both the Victorian and National Chief Health Officers, forecasted future Australian electricity demand, identified national sleeping patterns by mapping global internet use, collected data in East Timor to determine how to improve the welfare of coffee-producing households, and revolutionised the accuracy of business forecasting. We also consult regularly to business and industry, with recent projects including Tourism Australia, the Australian Energy Market Operator, World Vision and Meta. Our work spans disciplines and covers a wide range of issues affecting society. For example, our staff are working on an interdisciplinary climate change project, with experts from Cambridge and Yale universities, to measure how a greater reliance on renewable energy sources impacts overall economic growth.
Visiting scholars program
For academics working in econometrics, statistics or actuarial science in any institution in Australia or around the world, we would be delighted to hear from you. We have the longest running seminar series in econometrics in Australia and the capacity to host visitors to participate in these highly engaging events.