2026 WNAR/IMS Annual Meeting
PULLMAN, WA
The 2026 WNAR/IMS meeting will be in Pullman, WA at Washington State University, Sunday, June 14 through Wednesday, June 17.
Washington State University in Pullman offers a beautiful summer setting for a conference, combining the energy of a vibrant campus with the charm of the surrounding Palouse region. Warm, sunny days highlight the rolling hills of wheat fields that create one of the most picturesque landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. Attendees can enjoy strolls through WSU’s scenic campus, visit the renowned Bear Center or the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, and experience the lively downtown Pullman with its local shops and eateries. Just beyond Pullman, opportunities abound for outdoor recreation, from hiking and biking trails to nearby rivers and lakes, making it an ideal destination where academic engagement meets the natural beauty and hospitality of Eastern Washington.
There will be short courses, a Presidential Invited Address, invited and contributed sessions, young investigator events, and a Student Paper Award with oral sessions. Email programchair@wnar.org or wnar@wnar.org with questions.
March 5: Invited Session proposal submission deadline
March 5: Contributed Talk abstract deadline
March 5: Student Paper Award abstract deadline
March 25: Accepted contributed talks and student paper submissions notified
March 25: Accepted Invited Session proposals notified
April 1: Invited Session abstract deadline
April 9: Student Paper Award manuscripts due via email to yuan.wang@wsu.edu
mid April: Tentative program released
May 1: Last day for program change requests
May 1: Conference speakers must register to be included in the final program.
mid May: Final program released
May 14: Deadline to reserve hotels at conference rate and to register at early bird rate
May 15: Registration fees increase
June 13-14 (Sat-Sun) Expanding Opportunities Workshop (satellite event not part of registration)
June 14 (Sun) Workshops
June 14 (Sun) Welcome Reception (evening)
June 15-17 (Mon-Wed) Invited, contributed, student talks; main conference events
June 16 (Tues) Banquet
Cancellations before May 14, 2026 are subject to a $50 fee with reimbursement. Email wnar@wnar.org. Cancellations on or after May 15, 2026 will not be refunded.
WNAR Contributed Talk and Student Paper Abstract Call
Contributed presentations will be 15 minutes and student paper presentations will be 20 minutes. You will receive an email confirmation with a link that will allow you to make changes after submitting.
WNAR holds a student paper competition each year in conjunction with its annual conference. For details on eligibility, guidelines for manuscript preparation, and review criteria, please visit the Student Competition page.
For questions on contributed talks, please contact programchair@wnar.org, and for questions on Student Paper competition, please contact Yuan Wang (yuan.wang@wsu.edu).
WNAR Invited Session Call
Each invited session can include either 4 speakers, or 3 speakers and 1 discussant. Initial submissions require a title, description/motivation of the session, session chair and speaker names, affiliations, and emails. WNAR/IMS believes that diverse perspectives increase the quality of sessions and the conference overall. As such, we would like to highlight sessions that showcase diversity in their speakers or topics. We encourage session organizers to include a diverse set of speakers or topics.
Submissions are due March 5, 2026 and consist of a short proposal; abstracts are not required for this submission. Abstracts will be due April 1, 2026. Speakers must register by May 1, 2026 to be included in the program. For more information, please contact programchair@wnar.org.
Presidential Invited Address
Speaker: Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director of ASA.
Topic: Moving to a World Beyond p<0.05.
Short Courses (Sunday June 14)
Sunday, June 14, 9:30am-12:30pm
Title: Generative AI in Science: Tips and Tricks for increasing productivity without losing correctness, ownership, and creativity
Speaker: Dr. Valliappa ("Lak") Lakshmanan (Obin AI)
Short Bio:
Dr. Valliappa ("Lak") Lakshmanan is co-founder and CTO of Obin AI, a startup that's building deep domain AI agents for finance. He sets the technology and science direction of the company and is responsible for building the product.
Prior to this, Lak was an operating executive at an investment firm, the Director for Data Analytics and AI Solutions on Google Cloud and a Research Scientist at NOAA. He co-founded Google's Advanced Solutions Lab and is the author of several O'Reilly books and Coursera courses. He was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society for his data science work.
Sunday, June 14, 1:30pm-4:30pm
Title: An Introduction to Clinical Trial Design and Extensions to Interim Monitoring Methods
Speaker: Dr. Alex M. Kaizer (CU Anschutz)
Abstract: Clinical trials form the basis for “gold standard evidence” generation, often through randomizing participants across multiple study arms to compare a new intervention to the existing standard of care of placebo. However, clinical trials have many considerations for how they are designed and implemented to ensure ethical implementation and acceptable statistical properties.
This short course provides an applied introduction to clinical trials, with an emphasis on practical implementation and statistical rigor. The course begins with foundational concepts in modern clinical trial design, providing a baseline understanding of the unique considerations in designing a randomized trial. Building on this foundation, the course examines interim monitoring strategies, including the use of accumulating data to guide trial conduct while preserving validity and control of operating characteristics. The final module focuses on sample size re-estimation, highlighting design choices, statistical methods, and practical considerations for adapting sample size in response to interim information. Throughout, examples and methodological insights emphasize how clinical trials are designed and some adaptive approaches that may improve efficiency and decision-making in clinical research. Attendees will be exposed to code examples in R that allow them to further explore or implement the methods outside of the short course.
Bio: Dr. Alex Kaizer is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Informatics at the University of Colorado Anschutz. His research expertise is in the design of adaptive clinical trials, the development of Bayesian methods to facilitate information sharing across multiple sources, and the intersection of those two. Alex is passionate about helping to translate biostatistical methods into real-world concepts and examples that are more than "just math" and can be applied in our daily lives.
WNAR Expanding Opportunities Workshop
The 2026 WNAR Expanding Opportunities Workshop (June 13-June 14, 2026) is a satellite workshop held in conjunction with the WNAR Annual Meeting, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and belonging in quantitative fields. The 2026 workshop will provide a fun college experience to local native high school students, while creating opportunities for mentorship from peers, statistical researchers, and other members of the scientific community.
Note: WNAR is seeking donations to help support this workshop for 2026. Please see the Donate page or donate when you register for the WNAR meeting, if you are able. Thank you for your support of WNAR's continued outreach to junior members and potential (bio)statisticians and data scientists.
WNAR Indigenous Student Travel Awards
WNAR is offering multiple travel awards for Indigenous students from within the WNAR region to attend our annual conference. Awards up to $1,000 are available for conference travel and lodging related expenses. Eligible students include Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands. To apply, please send a letter outlining your connection to Indigenous peoples and why you are looking forward to attending the WNAR annual conference to: jedi@wnar.org. Deadline for applications is May 1, 2026.
Hotels:
Start Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
End Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Hotels offering the special group rate:
· Courtyard by Marriott Pullman for 199.00 USD per night - Last Day to Book : Thursday, May 14, 2026
· Residence Inn by Marriott Pullman for 209.00 USD per night - Last Day to Book : Thursday, May 14, 2026
Booking link: Book your group rate for Western North American Region of The International Biometric Society (WNAR-IBS)
For further details regarding hotel stay, including cancellation policies and parking, see this pdf info sheet provided by WSU. The deadline to reserve rooms at the conference rate is Thursday, May 14, 2026.
WSU Dormitories:
A block of single and double rooms at WSU dormitories have been held to allow for a cheaper option, especially for trainees. You will select your reservation dates when registering for the conference. Indicate whether you wish a single or double room (if double you may name a roommate or request an assigned roommate). Single room rates are $51 a night and double room rates are $41 a night. Email wnar@wnar.org with questions.
The most convenient way to reach Washington State University in Pullman is via the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport (PUW), located just about 2 miles (under 10 minutes by car) from campus. Taxis, rideshares, and hotel shuttles are readily available for the short trip from the airport to WSU. For broader flight options, visitors can fly into Spokane International Airport (GEG), about 90 miles (a 1.5-hour drive) north of Pullman, with regular shuttles and car rentals available for the journey to campus. Another nearby option is the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport (LWS), approximately 25 miles (about a 50-minute drive) southeast, with shuttle and car services connecting travelers to Pullman. WNAR is working on arranging limited shuttle from Spokane and/or LWS airports. Details will be announced soon.
WNAR holds a student paper competition each year in conjunction with its annual conference.
For details on eligibility, guidelines for manuscript preparation, and review criteria, please visit the Student Competition page. For students who have submitted a student award abstract through the contributed abstract link above, the final paper is due to the Student Paper Award Chair Yuan Wang (yuan.wang@wsu.edu) via email by April 9, 2026.
Sponsors
Many thanks to our sponsors who helped support WNAR 2026, including support for our Expanding Opportunities Workshop.