Dr. Jacob Bien

Professor

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Biography

Jacob Bien's research focuses on statistical machine learning, particularly the development of novel methods that balance flexibility and interpretability while analyzing complex data. He combines ideas from convex optimization and statistics to develop methods for direct use by scientists working with large datasets. His work has been supported by an NSF CAREER award, a three-year NSF grant for high-dimensional covariance estimation, and an NIH R01 grant for methods for analyzing multi-view data, along with grants from the Simons Foundation aimed at developing new statistical methodologies in oceanography. He is a fellow of both the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association, and in 2025, he received the Dean’s Award for Research Impact from the Marshall School of Business. He has served as an associate editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association and has previously held editorial roles for several leading journals in the field. Before joining USC, he was an assistant professor at Cornell University.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor

2024-01-01 — Present

USC Marshall • Los Angeles, CA

Teaching advanced courses and conducting research in data sciences and operations.

Assistant Professor

2019-08-01 — 2024-01-01

Cornell University • Ithaca, NY

Conducted research and taught courses in statistics and machine learning.

Courses

BUAD-312 Statistics Data Science Business DSO-699 Advanced Data Science: Modeling, Computing & Optimization GSBA-524 Data Science Business Principles

Requirements for University of Southern California

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:90
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:6.5
GRE General
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Math, or Hard Science
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • Personal Statement
  • Resume/CV
  • Letters of Recommendation (not required for MS CS, but allowed)
Specialization Notes

GRE is NOT required for Master's applicants for 2025-2026.