Tamara Broderick first visited MIT as a high school student in the Women’s Technology Program. Today, she is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Broderick uses Bayesian inference in her lab to quantify uncertainty and assess data analysis techniques.
Collaboration is key in Broderick’s work, where she helps people understand statistical tools and develops new tools for specific situations. For example, she worked with oceanographers to predict ocean currents accurately and developed a tool to help motor-impaired individuals use a computer’s interface with just a single switch.
A math enthusiast from a young age, Broderick explored a wide range of subjects throughout her academic journey. She studied math, physics, and computer science at Princeton before pursuing advanced degrees in mathematics and statistics in the UK and the US. She was drawn to MIT for its collaborative environment and opportunities to explore complex, impactful problems.
Broderick and her team are currently working on a project with an economist to evaluate the use of microcredit in impoverished areas. They developed a method to determine the robustness of study results by assessing how many data points can be removed without changing the conclusions significantly. This work aims to help researchers generalize study results more effectively.
Outside the lab, Broderick enjoys hiking with her husband and collecting patches for completing trails. Just like in her research, her curiosity, problem-solving skills, and love for exploration guide her on new adventures.