Officers
The best way to contact us is at dei@pstat.ucsb.edu. (Please note that sending an email to this address will result in an email being sent to all officers.)
Faculty and Staff
Dr. Drew Carter (he/him)
Prof. Carter has been a faculty member at UCSB since 2000. He is the Vice Chair in charge of Graduate Affairs and has a keen interest in mentoring graduate students. His research interests are in nonparametrics and asymptotics. Outside of UCSB, Drew enjoys singing and running.
- Departmental Role: Associate Professor and Graduate Vice Chair
- Email: carter@pstat.ucsb.edu
Myranda Flores (she/her)
Biography coming soon!
- Departmental Role: Student Affairs Manager and Graduate Program Advisor
- Email: studentaffairs@pstat.ucsb.edu
Kallie Hill (she/her)
Kallie was born and raised in Santa Barbara and considers herself a California girl at heart. She studied Mathematics at UCSB as an undergrad, and began working for UCSB as an undergrad. After graduation she began working for the ECE dept here at UCSB, transferring after four years to the PBS Dept for an additional 4 years. She has now worked in the PSTAT Dept for two years, and considers Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to be the keystone in any working environment. In her spare time you can find her hanging out with her husband, Chris, and golden retriever, Atticus (Yes! Exactly like Atticus Finch! One of her fictional icons.)
- Departmental Role: Business Officer
- Email: mso@pstat.ucsb.edu
Dr. Wendy Meiring (she/her)
Biography coming soon!
- Departmental Role: Professor (Undergraduate Vice Chair)
- Email: meiring@pstat.ucsb.edu
Dr. Jack Miller (they/them)
Professor Miller joined PSTAT as a Teaching Professor in November 2022. They are interested in teaching statistics and data science to undergraduates, mentoring undergraduate students, and working with and mentoring teaching associates with all things teaching from creating a supportive learning environment where all students are included and feel a sense of belonging to handling challenges as they arise. Additionally, Professor Miller is the faculty advisor for oSTEM@UCSB. Outside of professional activities, they enjoy long walks their golden retriever Luna, bird watching, and hanging out with their fabulous spouse.
- Departmental Role: Teaching Professor
- Email: jbmiller@pstat.ucsb.edu
Jessie Priestley (she/her)
Originally from New Mexico, Jessie landed in Santa Barbara in 2023 after attending grad school in Boston. She finds value in working to build equity and foster safer spaces for everyone. In her free time, she likes to hang with her partner and her pets.
- Departmental Role: Academic Coordinator
- Email: academic-coordinator@pstat.ucsb.edu
Dr. Alex Shkolnik (he/him)
Biography coming soon!
- Departmental Role: Assistant Professor
- Email: shkolnik@pstat.ucsb.edu
Dr. Julie Swenson (she/her)
Julie, a native of the Bay Area, moved to Santa Barbara for grad school and fell in love with the area. Passionate about education, she believes in creating a safe and supportive learning community where all members can thrive. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her family.
- Departmental Role: Continuing Lecturer
- Email: swenson@pstat.ucsb.edu
Graduate and Undergraduate
Ethan Marzban (he/him)
A Seattle native, Ethan moved to Santa Barbara from the Bay Area to join the PhD program back in Fall 2020. Since then, he has been passionate making the department a more welcoming and communal space (in addition to his research, as well as a passion for statistics education). Outside of school, he enjoys discovering new coffee shops, making use of the beautiful Santa Barbara weather, and talking everyone’s ears off about cats. Ethan is also currently serving as the Lead Teaching Assistant (TA) for the department and is as such happy to field any questions about or concerns over Teaching Assistantships!
- Departmental Role: PhD Student and Lead TA
- Email: epmarzban@pstat.ucsb.edu
Denisse Escobar Parra (she/her)
Biography coming soon!
- Departmental Role: PhD Student
- Email: descobarparra@ucsb.edu