Dr. Mir Masoom Ali, George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Statistics and Professor of Mathematical Sciences, joined the Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1969 after completing his doctoral work at the University of Toronto. He is also the director of the graduate program in statistics at Ball State University, which he had founded in 1971. Dr. Ali was born in Patuakhali in Bangladesh on February 1, 1937.
Before coming to North America Dr. Ali served in various statistical positions with the Government of Pakistan. In 1957 he worked briefly for the Socio-Economic Survey Board of the University of Dhaka.
In recognition of his excellence in teaching, research and professional service, Dr. Ali received the 1992-93 Outstanding Faculty Award and the 1985 Outstanding Researcher Award from Ball State University. In 1990, the Bangladesh Statistical Association awarded him the first Qazi Motahar Husain Gold Medal for his outstanding contributions in the field of statistics. He was also awarded the Meritorious Service Awards in 1987, and 2002 by the Midwest Biopharmaceutical Statistics Workshop, which is co-sponsored by the American Statistical Association, for his role as a co-founder, program co-chair and local arrangements chair.
He has published over one hundred and fifty papers and about 300 article and book reviews in leading statistical journals. He has also presented numerous papers at professional meetings and universities in different countries.
Dr. Ali is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the largest statistical association in the world; Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, England; Fellow of the Institute of Statisticians, England; and Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. He is also an elected member of the International Statistical Institute and a member of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and Bangladesh Statistical Association. He is the founding president of the North America Bangladesh Statistical Association.
Dr. Ali serves as an editor of several international statistical journals published from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and South Korea.
On October 24, 2002, Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon gave Dr. Ali the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, the State of Indiana’s highest award, in recognition of Dr. Ali's contributions to Ball State University, to the statistics profession and, especially to the higher education in the State of Indiana for 33 years (see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bafi/messsage/209). Prof. Ali is the first South Asian and Muslim to have received this prestigious award.
Dr. Ali’s wife, Firoza (Leena) Ali hails from Rangpur in Bangladesh. She is a psychologist (with specialization in behavior modification) and works as an independent consultant in the State of Indiana. Their oldest daughter Nancy is a vice president of Planned Parenthood. His second daughter Nicky is a professor of criminal justice and his third daughter Mimi returned to family life to raise her children after serving in a financial institution as an assistant vice president. Their son, Dr. Mir Ishtiaque Ali, who is the youngest among the siblings, is a cardiologist.
