John C. Gittins
Encyclopedia
John C. Gittins is a researcher in applied probability
and operations research
, who is a professor and Emeritus Fellow at Keble College, Oxford University.
He is renowned as the developer of the "Gittins index
", which is used for sequential
decision-making
, especially in research and development in the pharmaceutical industry. He has research interests in applied probability
, decision analysis
and optimal decision
s, including optimal stopping
and stochastic optimization
.
Gittins was an Assistant Director of Research at the Department of Engineering, Cambridge University from 1967 to 1974. Then he was a lecturer at Oxford University from 1975 to 2005 and head of the Department of Statistics there for 6 years. In 1992, Oxford University awarded him the degree Doctor of Science (D. Sci.). In 1996 he became a Professor of Statistics at Oxford University.
He has been awarded the Rollo Davidson Prize (1982) for early-career probabilists
, and the Guy Medal
in Silver (1984).
Applied probability
Much research involving probability is done under the auspices of applied probability, the application of probability theory to other scientific and engineering domains...
and operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
, who is a professor and Emeritus Fellow at Keble College, Oxford University.
He is renowned as the developer of the "Gittins index
Gittins index
The Gittins index is a measure of the reward that can be achieved by a process evolving from its present state onwards with the probability that it will be terminated in future...
", which is used for sequential
Sequential analysis
In statistics, sequential analysis or sequential hypothesis testing is statistical analysis where the sample size is not fixed in advance. Instead data are evaluated as they are collected, and further sampling is stopped in accordance with a pre-defined stopping rule as soon as significant results...
decision-making
Optimal decision
An optimal decision is a decision such that no other available decision options will lead to a better outcome. It is an important concept in decision theory. In order to compare the different decision outcomes, one commonly assigns a relative utility to each of them...
, especially in research and development in the pharmaceutical industry. He has research interests in applied probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
, decision analysis
Decision analysis
Decision analysis is the discipline comprising the philosophy, theory, methodology, and professional practice necessary to address important decisions in a formal manner...
and optimal decision
Optimal decision
An optimal decision is a decision such that no other available decision options will lead to a better outcome. It is an important concept in decision theory. In order to compare the different decision outcomes, one commonly assigns a relative utility to each of them...
s, including optimal stopping
Optimal stopping
In mathematics, the theory of optimal stopping is concerned with the problem of choosing a time to take a particular action, in order to maximise an expected reward or minimise an expected cost. Optimal stopping problems can be found in areas of statistics, economics, and mathematical finance...
and stochastic optimization
Stochastic optimization
Stochastic optimization methods are optimization methods that generate and use random variables. For stochastic problems, the random variables appear in the formulation of the optimization problem itself, which involve random objective functions or random constraints, for example. Stochastic...
.
Gittins was an Assistant Director of Research at the Department of Engineering, Cambridge University from 1967 to 1974. Then he was a lecturer at Oxford University from 1975 to 2005 and head of the Department of Statistics there for 6 years. In 1992, Oxford University awarded him the degree Doctor of Science (D. Sci.). In 1996 he became a Professor of Statistics at Oxford University.
He has been awarded the Rollo Davidson Prize (1982) for early-career probabilists
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
, and the Guy Medal
Guy Medal
The Guy Medals are awarded by the Royal Statistical Society in three categories; Gold, Silver and Bronze. The Gold Medal is awarded triennially, the other two are awarded annually...
in Silver (1984).
Selected publications
- (1989) Multi-Armed Bandit Allocation Indices, Wiley. ISBN 0471920592
- (1985) (with Bergman, S.W.) Statistical Methods for Pharmaceutical Research Planning, CRC Press. ISBN 082477146X
- (2000) (with H. Pezeshk) "How Large Should a Clinical Trial Be?", The Statistician , 49 (2), 177–187 )
- (2001) (with G. Harper) "Bounds on the Performance of a Greedy Algorithm for Probabilities". Mathematics of Operations ResearchMathematics of Operations ResearchMathematics of Operations Research is a scholarly journal published since 1976. The founding editor was Arthur F. Veinott, Jr. of Stanford University, who served as editor-in-chief 1976-1980. MOR is published quarterly by INFORMS and indexed by Journal Citation Reports...
, 26, 313–323 - (2003) "Stochastic Models for the Planning of Pharmaceutical Research", Journal of Statistical Theory and Applications, 2 (2), 198–214.
- (2011) (with K. D. Glazebrook and R. R. WeberRichard R. WeberRichard Robert Weber is a mathematician working in operational research. He is Churchill Professor of Mathematics for Operational Research in the Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge....
) Multi-Armed Bandit Allocation Indices, second edition, Wiley, ISBN 0470670026