In 1965, with the appointment of Professor J M Gani, a full graduate programme, with a one-year MSc course and a PhD programme, was initiated. Since then the subject has continued to flourish, with the Probability and Statistics Department now consisting of 10 full-time academic staff including four professors, additional research staff, a commercial unit with around 5 professional statisticians, and about 45 postgraduate students. In addition, however, the Department has a comfortable reading room containing a wide selection of postgraduate and research texts, and a number of the leading journals in Probability and Statistics. There is an undergraduate library for Mathematics, Statistics and Physics on the same floor as the main part of the Department. The Department has an extensive and very active programme of teaching and research.
Great emphasis is placed on the practical application of statistical method in the outside world.
This interest is reflected in the research work of staff and Ph.D. students and in the importance that is attached to the Department's Statistical Services Unit , which provides a comprehensive range of services to industry, commerce and the public services, including consultancy, courses and the development of computer software. The Unit has a Director and several full time consultants, as well as its own clerical staff. Other members of the academic staff act as specialist consultants as required. The staff of the Department also provides a consulting service to other departments within the University and in local hospitals, and is always willing to offer advice on the application of statistical method to problems from diverse fields. A particular feature of the Department is its links with other institutions.