Professor of Statistics and Data Science, Northwestern University
Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research
Co-Director, Statistics for Evidence-Based Policy and Practice Center

Professor Elizabeth Tipton began her academic career with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Transylvania University in Kentucky, followed by a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Statistics from Northwestern University in 2011. After completing her doctorate, she joined Teachers College, Columbia University, as an Assistant Professor of Applied Statistics, where she earned tenure in 2017. In 2018, she returned to Northwestern University as a faculty member.

Her research lies at the intersection of statistics, education, and the social sciences, with a focus on several key areas. These include improving generalizability in randomized trials, through more effective recruitment strategies, study designs tailored to different estimands, and methods to address undercoverage issues. She also specializes in meta-analyses of heterogeneous studies, exploring how to best synthesize findings, assess generalizability, test hypotheses, and explain sources of variation. Another major line of her work concerns communicating research evidence to diverse audiences, using principles of data visualization and human-computer interaction to make results accessible to non-experts.

Her scientific contributions have been widely recognized. In 2025, she was elected a Member of the National Academy of Education, and in 2024, she was named a Fellow of both the American Statistical Association and the American Educational Research Association, in recognition of her influential work integrating statistical methodology with applied social research.

Throughout her career, Professor Elizabeth Tipton has collaborated with researchers from a wide range of disciplines on numerous projects. Among these, she particularly values her involvement in the design and analysis of large-scale randomized controlled trials, such as the National Study of Learning Mindsets, an innovative project conducted with a random sample of U.S. high schools. This study not only evaluated the average impact of an educational intervention but also examined variation in effects across different contexts, offering new insights into how learning outcomes are shaped by environment.

At Northwestern University, Professor Elizabeth Tipton holds several academic and leadership roles. She serves as Professor of Statistics and Data Science, Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, and Courtesy Professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. She is also Co-Director of the Statistics for Evidence-Based Policy and Practice Center, where she promotes interdisciplinary research linking statistical innovation with evidence-based policy.

At the national level, she has contributed to major collaborative efforts. In 2021, she served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Consensus Study on the future of education research in the United States. Conducted in the post-pandemic period, this project produced a comprehensive roadmap for building evidence systems rooted in the needs of schools and communities, an achievement she considers particularly meaningful.

Professor Elizabeth Tipton remains actively involved in academic initiatives, research events, and interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at strengthening the connection between statistical science and its practical applications in public policy.