Herman Rubin

Herman Rubin
Born	(1926-10-27)October 27, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, US
Died	April 23, 2018(2018-04-23) (aged 91) West Lafayette, Indiana, US
Citizenship	American
Alma mater	University of Chicago
Known for	Karlin-Rubin theorem Rao-Rubin theorems
Honors	Volume 45 of the IMS Lecture Notes were dedicated to him
Scientific career
Fields	Statistics Mathematical sciences
Institutions	Purdue University
Doctoral advisor	Paul Halmos
Doctoral students	Om Prakash Aggarwal Charles Henri Boll Jack Raymond Borsting Donald Fisk Jugal Ghorai Rajakularaman Ponnuswami Pakshirajan Suresh Ramkrishna Paranjape B. L. S. Prakasa Rao Anadi Ranjan Roy Herbert Solomon Oscar Wesler Anna Elizabeth Vaughan

Herman Rubin was a distinguished professor of statistics and mathematics at Purdue University, known for his prolific research and fundamental contributions across numerous mathematical disciplines. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 91. ^{[1] [2]}

Education and Career

Born in 1926 in Chicago, Illinois, Rubin was considered a child prodigy ^{[ according to whom? ]} who earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Chicago, completing his doctorate in mathematics at the age of 21 in 1948; his official advisor was Paul Halmos. He served in the U.S. Army during the Second World War. ^[3] Prior to joining Purdue University in 1967, Rubin held faculty positions at several other prestigious institutions (Stanford University, ^[4] the University of Oregon, and Michigan State University).

Contributions to Statistics

Rubin was considered a polymath with a unique ability to solve complex problems. He was a prolific researcher, publishing over 130 papers that have become standard texts in various fields. His key contributions include:

• Multivariate Analysis: He co-authored seminal papers with T.W. Anderson on the distribution theory of maximum likelihood estimators in factor analysis and structural equation models.
• Monotone likelihood ratio: He is credited with the widely used and fundamental concept of monotone likelihood ratio families.
• Bayesian Inference: Rubin was a lifelong Bayesian statistician who took the theory and axioms of Leonard Jimmie Savage literally, and he contributed significantly to the theory of Bayes risks.
• Econometrics: He worked on problems related to the simultaneous equations model in economics, including the development of the Limited information maximum likelihood (LIML) estimator.
• Set Theory and Probability: His work also included contributions to set theory, the theory of moderate deviations, and the characterization of probability distributions.
• Hypothesis testing: in collaboration with Samuel Karlin, the Karlin-Rubin theorem provides a method for finding uniformly most powerful tests for one-sided hypotheses, a significant contribution to the theory of hypothesis testing.

He was an inaugural Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.

Family

He was married to Jean E. Rubin (1926–2002), a professor of mathematics at Purdue University whose primary research focus was on the axiom of choice. ^[5] His son Arthur Rubin (born 1956) is a mathematician and aerospace engineer.

Legacy

Over his career, Herman Rubin supervised at least eleven doctoral students, ^[6] was highly respected by his colleagues and was known for his generosity in helping others with their research problems without seeking credit. ^[7] A memorial lecture series, the Herman Rubin Memorial Lecture, was established at Purdue University in his honor. ^[8]

References

1. "Herman Rubin Obituary (1926 - 2018) - West Lafayette, IN - Journal & Courier". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
2. "Obituary: Herman Rubin, 1926–2018". Institute of Mathematical Statistics. May 15, 2018. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
3. Bock, Mary Ellen. "Conversations with Herman Rubin" (PDF). Institute of Mathematical Statistics. A Festschrift for Herman Rubin. doi:10.1214/lnms/1196285408.pdf. Herman Rubin was born October 27, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois. He obtained his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1948 at the age of 21. ~. He is well known for his broad ranging mathematical research interests and for fundamental contributions in Bayesian decision theory, in set theory, in estimations for simultaneous equations, in probability and in asymptotic statistics.
4. "History of the Department | Department of Statistics". statistics.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
5. "Jean E. Rubin Obituary". resources.illc.uva.nl. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
6. "Herman Rubin - The Mathematics Genealogy Project". www.genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
7. "Remembering Professor Herman Rubin - Department of Statistics - Purdue University". www.stat.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
8. "In Memory of Herman Rubin - Department of Statistics - Purdue University". www.stat.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-20.