Dr. Gonzalo Mena

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Gonzalo Mena is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a Florence Nightingale Bicentennial Fellow and has experience as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Data Science Initiative at Harvard University, where he was mentored by Pierre Jacob. Gonzalo completed his PhD in Statistics at Columbia University under the supervision of Liam Paninski. His research focuses on developing robust and efficient statistical methodologies to tackle challenging problems in the life sciences, particularly those involving large datasets from neuroscience and epidemiology. He aims to derive statistically valid inferences from inherently corrupted and biased data, as well as integrate traditional and reliable sources of information. His work involves the emerging field of statistical optimal transport, which provides advanced tools for measuring distance between distributions and mapping statistical properties of estimators. Gonzalo's research is supported by a National Science Foundation grant and strives to encourage collaborations with motivated students.

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor

— Present

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Teaching and conducting research in statistics and data science.

Postdoctoral Fellow

— Present

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

Worked on the Data Science Initiative focusing on statistical methods.

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)
Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.