Rate My Professor Trent Gaugler

Trent Gaugler is an Associate Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Lafayette College, where he serves as the program chair for the Data Science program. He earned a B.S. in Mathematics magna cum laude from Bucknell University in 2003 and a Ph.D. in Statistics from The Pennsylvania State University in 2008, advised by Michael Akritas. His career includes positions as Assistant Professor of Statistics at Penn State University from 2008 to 2011, where he worked primarily in the Statistical Consulting Center and taught consulting courses, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Statistics and Data Science at Carnegie Mellon University from 2011 to 2014, teaching a capstone consulting course for the Master in Statistical Practice program. He joined Lafayette College in 2014 as Assistant Professor of Mathematics, advancing to Associate Professor in 2020.

As a statistician specializing in applied statistics problems, Gaugler collaborates with researchers across disciplines on complex data analysis using computational statistics, linear mixed models, resampling methods, and simulation-based approaches. His publications include 'Most genetic risk for autism resides with common variation' in Nature Genetics (2014), 'Relationship quality and 5-year mortality risk' in Health Psychology (2020), 'Bridging information domains to improve ecological understanding of biological invasions in a marine ecosystem' in Conservation Biology (2020), 'Incorporating Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder into a High-fat Meal Does Not Alter Postprandial Vascular Function or Blood Markers of Cardiovascular Risk' in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2017), and 'Are mnemonic failures and benefits two sides of the same coin?' in Memory & Cognition (2019). At Lafayette, he teaches applied statistics, probability, and mathematical statistics courses using real-world data. Gaugler has delivered invited lectures such as 'Resampling Methods: Why the Bootstrap and Jackknife Are Your Friends' at Muhlenberg College (2013) and Lafayette College (2014), and has advised senior honors theses, EXCEL scholars, and student research projects.