Kathryn Brenda MacGibbon-Taylor (July 31, 1944 – October 7, 2022) was a Canadian mathematician, statistician, and
decision scientist. She was a professor of mathematics at the
Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal (English: University of Quebec in Montreal), also known as UQAM, is a French-language public university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québe ...
and was affiliated with the Group for Research in Decision Analysis.
Education and career
MacGibbon began her career in pure mathematics, at
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
. She earned a master's degree there in 1966, working with Michael Herschorn on
differential equation
In mathematics, a differential equation is an equation that relates one or more unknown functions and their derivatives. In applications, the functions generally represent physical quantities, the derivatives represent their rates of change, an ...
s, and completed a Ph.D. in 1970, with a dissertation on
topology
In mathematics, topology (from the Greek language, Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a mathematical object, geometric object that are preserved under Continuous function, continuous Deformation theory, deformations, such ...
supervised by
Donald A. Dawson.
As well as McGill and the Université du Québec à Montréal, she has also been affiliated with the Department of Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems at
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
in Montreal, where she was hired in 1986. By 1993 she had moved to the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Research
Although MacGibbon's research has covered a wide range of topics in statistics, including applications of statistics in the study of
premenstrual syndrome
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to emotional and physical symptoms that regularly occur in the one to two weeks before the start of each menstrual period. Symptoms resolve around the time menstrual bleeding begins. Different women experienc ...
, and the use of smart shoes to monitor the rehabilitation of patients with
hip fracture
A hip fracture is a break that occurs in the upper part of the femur (thigh bone). Symptoms may include pain around the hip, particularly with movement, and shortening of the leg. Usually the person cannot walk.
They most often occur as a res ...
s, she was particularly known for her work in theoretical statistics on
minimax estimator
In statistical decision theory, where we are faced with the problem of estimating a deterministic parameter (vector) \theta \in \Theta from observations x \in \mathcal, an estimator (estimation rule) \delta^M \,\! is called minimax if its maximal ...
s with constrained parameters.
Recognition
MacGibbon became the first woman to chair the Statistical Sciences Grant Selection Committee of the Canadian
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...
, in 1993. She was a Fellow of the
Institute of Mathematical Statistics
The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts o ...
.
Personal life
MacGibbon was married to John Taylor, with whom she had 3 children. She died from complications of
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
and
ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
on October 7, 2022, at the age of 78.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacGibbon, Brenda
1944 births
2022 deaths
Deaths from motor neuron disease in Canada
Neurological disease deaths in Quebec
Canadian women mathematicians
Canadian statisticians
Canadian women statisticians
McGill University Faculty of Science alumni
Academic staff of Concordia University
Academic staff of the Université du Québec à Montréal
Fellows of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics