Announcement of the Awardee of the Sixth Akaike Memorial Lecture Award

ISM2026-05
July 2, 2026

 The Akaike Memorial Lecture Award was established in May 2016. The purpose of this award is to commemorate the achievements of the late Dr. Akaike, who introduced a novel paradigm for evaluating the predictive accuracy of statistical modeling. Dr. Akaike proposed the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), a model selection criterion based on an approach fundamentally different from the statistical theories that were prevalent at the time. His ideas have had an influence on a wide range of theoretical and applied research fields.
 This award is now jointly administered by the Institute of Statistical Mathematics (ISM) and the Japanese Federation of Statistical Science Associations (JFSSA). The awardee is selected every two years and the memorial lecture is delivered at the Japanese Joint Statistical Meeting (JJSM).
 The Sixth Akaike Memorial Lecture Award is presented to Professor Christian P. Robert, Professor at Université Paris Dauphine-PSL and part-time Professor at the University of Warwick. Professor Robert is a world-renowned French statistician specializing in Bayesian statistics and Bayesian computation.
 The award ceremony and memorial lecture will be held during the plenary session of JJSM 2026 which will be conducted in a hybrid format with both online and on-site participation options on September 7 at Yokohama City University, Kanazawa-Hakkei Campus, Kanagawa, Japan. Professor Robert will attend the meeting in person and deliver the memorial lecture on site.

 Professor Christian P. Robert is recognized for his outstanding contributions to modern Bayesian statistics and Bayesian computation. A central theme of his work has been to show how Bayesian inference can be made operational in complex models, where exact calculation is often impossible. Through simulation-based methodology—ranging from Markov chain Monte Carlo and population Monte Carlo to approximate Bayesian computation—he has helped transform Bayesian analysis into a practical framework for modern statistical science. His books—The Bayesian Choice and Monte Carlo Statistical Methods, the latter co-authored with George Casella—have educated generations of statisticians and remain major references for understanding Bayesian reasoning and computation in practice. Through these contributions and his service to the international statistical community, Professor Robert has strengthened the connection between Bayesian theory and modern statistical practice. His ties with the Institute of Statistical Mathematics include his service as an Associate Editor of the Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics from 2003 to March 2005. In view of these distinguished contributions to statistical science, the Selection Committee has decided to confer the Sixth Akaike Memorial Lecture Award on Professor Robert.

Research Achievements

 Professor Christian P. Robert is recognized for his outstanding contributions to modern Bayesian statistics and Bayesian computation. A central theme of his work has been to show how Bayesian inference can be made operational in complex models, where exact calculation is often impossible. Through simulation-based methodology—ranging from Markov chain Monte Carlo and population Monte Carlo to approximate Bayesian computation—he has helped transform Bayesian analysis into a practical framework for modern statistical science. His work has made clear that computation is not simply a tool for implementation, but an integral part of Bayesian modeling, inference, and scientific application.
 Robert’s influence is equally visible in the way Bayesian statistics is taught and understood. The Bayesian Choice presents Bayesian inference through a decision-theoretic lens, moving from foundational principles to practical implementation, and was awarded the ISBA DeGroot Prize. Monte Carlo Statistical Methods, co-authored with George Casella, became a standard reference for Monte Carlo methods in statistics and has shaped the training of researchers and graduate students around the world. Together, these books helped define a generation’s understanding of Bayesian reasoning and computational practice.
 Robert has also contributed to the international development of the field through leadership and editorial service, including as President of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis, Editor of the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B, and Deputy Editor of Biometrika. His achievements are especially fitting for the Akaike Memorial Lecture Award because they show how statistical principles can be translated into methods for modeling, computation, and scientific inference. By making Bayesian thinking both rigorous and usable, he has broadened the practical reach of modern statistical science.

Name: Christian P. Robert

Current Position: Professor of Mathematics at Université Paris Dauphine-PSL, France Professor of Statistics at the University of Warwick, UK

Born: 1961

Education: 　Thèse (Ph.D.) de Mathématique Université Paris6 1987
                     Habilitation à diriger des recherches  Université Paris6 1991

Professional Summary:

The Sixth Akaike Memorial Lecture will be held in the plenary session of JJSM 2026 and jointly hosted by ISM and JFSSA.

Session Title:
The plenary session of JJSM 2026: the Akaike Memorial Lecture

Speaker:
 Professor Christian P. Robert(Université Paris Dauphine-PSL and University of Warwick)

Lecture Title:
“Bayesian Adversarial Privacy”

Organizer:
Professor Kengo Kamatani (ISM)

Moderator:
Professor Makoto Aoshima (Director General, JFSSA)

Chair:
Professor Satoshi Yamashita (Director-General, ISM)

Discussants:
Associate Professor Keisuke Yano (ISM)
Professor Shonosuke Sugasawa (Keio University)

Date and Time:
Monday, September 7, 2026/ 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
*The entire session will be concluded in English.

Venue:
Yokohama City University, Kanazawa-Hakkei Campus　
22-2 Seto, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0027 JAPAN
(https://www.yokohama-cu.ac.jp/english/about/index.html#Campuses )
*The lecture will be held in a hybrid format with online and in-person participation options. Professor Robert will speak on-site.

For more details of the lecture, please visit the official web sites of the following organizations:
  ISM  
  JJSM 2026  

 In 2014, ISM and the Japan Statistical Society (JSS) began discussions on establishing the Akaike Memorial Lecture Award as a joint initiative to commemorate the achievements and enduring impact of the late Dr. Hirotugu Akaike on statistical science. (*)
 The awardee delivers the memorial lecture, hereinafter referred to as the "Akaike Memorial Lecture". The award aims to provide Japanese and international statistical scientists with opportunities to network and engage with one another, foster junior researchers, and promote the advancement of statistical science. Since October 2023, the award has been jointly administered by ISM and JFSSA.
 One awardee is selected every two years from among international researchers whose pioneering and far-reaching achievements are comparable to those of Dr. Akaike. The scope of nominations covers both pure and applied research in mathematical sciences, mathematical engineering, and other statistical sciences, including such areas as systems control and optimization algorithms. The awardee receives an honorarium of 300,000 yen, a commemorative plaque, and travel expenses.
 As part of the award’s commitment to researcher development, several discussants selected from among promising junior researchers are given the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session with the awardee. Each Akaike Memorial Lecture and a summary of the subsequent discussion are published as invited articles in the Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics.

(*) About the Late Dr. Hirotugu Akaike
 Dr. Akaike was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on November 5, 1927. After graduating from the Naval Academy of Japan, the First Higher School, and the Department of Mathematics, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, he joined ISM in 1952.
 In the 1960s, Dr. Akaike made pioneering contributions in the field of time-series analysis.
 He developed new methodologies for spectral analysis, multivariate time-series analysis, and statistical system control, contributing to the development of the Time Series Analysis and Control (TIMSAC) software package. In the 1970s, he introduced the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), establishing a new paradigm in statistical modeling for evaluating predictive accuracy. This approach represented a radical departure from the statistical theories prevalent at the time and profoundly influenced a wide range of research fields. In the 1980s, he developed methods that facilitate the practical application of Bayesian modeling. His works paved the way for innovative approaches to information processing analytics in the era of big data. In recognition of his widely acknowledged and enduring contributions to statistical science, he received the Medal with Purple Ribbon, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star, the Kyoto Prize, and numerous other prestigious awards.
 While serving as Director-General of ISM from 1986, he also engaged in postgraduate education following the establishment of the Department of Statistical Science at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)，Kanagawa, Japan. After completing his term as Director-General in 1994, he became Professor Emeritus both at ISM and at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies. Even after retiring from full-time academic positions, Dr. Akaike remained deeply committed to statistical research and continued working on Bayesian and other statistical methodologies. He published several journal articles analyzing the relationship between golf-swing motion parameters and driving distance as an illustrative example of mathematical modeling. From January 1989 to December 1990, he served as the 19th President of JSS.
 Dr. Akaike passed away in Ibaraki Prefecture on August 4, 2009, at the age of 81. On November 5, 2017, a commemorative doodle appeared in 16 countries and regions in celebration of "Hirotugu Akaike 90th Birthday"
 (Google Doodle: Hirotugu Akaike’s 90th Birthday: https://www.google.com/doodles/hirotugu-akaikes-90th-birthday ).

Hirotugu Akaike Memorial Website:
https://www.ism.ac.jp/akaikememorial/index_e.html

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