Talithia Williams Named Rice University Distinguished Alumna

The Association of Rice Alumni has recognized Harvey Mudd College Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Clinic Director Talithia Williams as a recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award. The award honors highly distinguished Rice University alumni who have advanced the interest and standards of excellence of Rice through distinctive professional careers. Williams earned her master’s degree and PhD in statistics at Rice University.

As an innovative and award-winning member of the Harvey Mudd community, Williams has made it her life’s work to get students, parents, educators and community members more excited about the possibilities inherent in a STEM education.

Williams research centers on developing statistical models which emphasize the spatial and temporal structure of data and applying them to problems in the environment. Throughout her career, she has applied her research in myriad ways, including modeling rainfall to better predict flooding in Houston, partnering with the World Health Organization to develop a cataract model used to predict cataract surgical rates in African countries and co-hosting a television show, the NOVA series NOVA Wonders. A renown speaker, Williams delivered the popular TED Talk, “Own Your Body’s Data,” which extols the value of statistics in quantifying personal health information. She is the author of Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics, which highlights the influence of women in the mathematical sciences in the last two millennia.