Jonathan Wakefield

Jonathan Wakefield is a biostatistician who left the University of Washington to join the University of British Columbia's Department of Statistics in Vancouver, Canada, as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Bayesian Space-Time Modeling for Global Health.

The appointment was announced August 27, 2026 as part of UBC's first cohort of nine Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs, with his move set to begin in September 2026.

Wakefield's methodological work has shaped how the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and national governments estimate mortality, disease burden, and health and demographic indicators, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. At UBC, his research program develops Bayesian statistical methods, using context-specific sampling models and spatial and temporal dependencies, to produce reliable annual estimates of maternal and child health outcomes at the finest geographic scale the data allows, work intended to inform policy and track progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A key deliverable is user-friendly software built in partnership with health ministries, national statistical offices, and aid agencies, so that health data can be translated into actionable resource-allocation decisions on the ground.

Wakefield's focus on health disparities began with a project estimating geographic inequalities in child mortality across sub-Saharan Africa. He has cited the roughly 40-fold variation in first-month infant mortality between countries as a driving motivation, arguing that since low-mortality countries show most such deaths are preventable, wealthier nations bear a responsibility to help understand and address the underlying causes. He was drawn to UBC's Department of Statistics, which he said he had long admired for sharing his own statistical vision, and described the Chair as the most significant development of his career, enabling him to substantially expand support for researchers and government officials in low- and middle-income countries.