Name: Wilfrid Kendall

Job title: Professor of Statistics

Department: Statistics

Number of years at Warwick: 31 as of October 2019

There’s no such thing as a typical day, but, in brief, my job involves...

the classic academic mix: teaching, research, and administration. I find the variety very stimulating, though each year the teaching seems to become (a little) easier (because I’m finding out more about what makes people tick?), the administration becomes (a little) harder (because I’m finding it harder to spot the obvious decision?), and research becomes a lot harder (I’d like to think that’s because I’m learning to ask tougher questions).

My most memorable moment at Warwick has been...

a moment which extended in duration to a full ten years: working with colleagues to set up and establish APTS (Academy for PhD Training in Statistics). APTS is still going well 13 years later, training order of 175 students a year from research groups across the UK and RoI and beyond. Based at Warwick all this time, it’s been a brilliant example of UK academics collaborating to grow an enduring national network of young researchers in Statistics.

In my time at Warwick, the biggest change I’ve seen is...

the campus! When I came, the campus was like a country park. Much of that still remains, but the heart of the campus is now much more like an attractive modern city – but with relatively no urban traffic.

Warwick's kept me here because...

about every three years my job changes in a significant way: starting up APTS, helping with new doctoral training centres, learning how the departmental post-graduate community really works, helping with our first departmental Athena SWAN application, collaborating on joint research initiatives with colleagues in other departments, the list goes on.

At the moment I'm really enjoying working on...

an EPSRC-funded project using elements of modern mathematical analysis to understand better how certain randomized algorithms (“Markov chain Monte Carlo”) can be used to do tricky statistics problems. This means I get to work closely with my very bright and able post-doc, Jure Vogrinc, and that makes sure I have to perform to the best level I can attain.

Warwick's special because...

it is still relatively young. Whoever one is, this makes it easier to make a difference in Warwick, and to change things for the good.

If I could change one thing at the University, it would be...

to remember even more clearly that we are indeed a young university, and to use that thought to stay flexible, stay responsive, keep trying harder and never to overstate what we have done at the expense of what we might achieve in the future.

My favourite place on campus is…

Tocil wood in the spring. When our children were young, we took them there to walk paths through seas of bluebells. Next year I hope to take my grandchildren...

Enjoyed hearing from Wilfrid? Hear from some of our other Long Service Award recipients

"Warwick’s special because it is still relatively young. Whoever one is, this makes it easier to make a difference in Warwick, and to change things for the good."