Ivan Fellegi
Statistician
Biography
Ivan Fellegi first came to Carleton University in 1957, receiving a Master of Science degree in Mathematics in 1958 and a PhD in 1961, the first student to receive a Carleton master’s and doctorate.
Fellegi is a past chair of Carleton’s Board of Governors, which he served from 1995 to 1997.
In 1985, Fellegi became the Chief Statistician of Canada, a role he held until 2008.
“Carleton provided a unique opportunity for me,” he says. “As a newly arrived refugee to Canada, I had to be able to work during the day to support myself and complete my courses in the evening. Carleton accommodated me. More than that, it accepted my BSc without my transcripts, based on a non-bureaucratic, but very thorough oral examination. To a great extent, I owe my career to Carleton.”
Fellegi has received honorary degrees from Carleton, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal, Simon Fraser University, McMaster University and University of Ottawa.
He received the Order of Canada in 1992 and became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1999. He has been recognized by numerous societies for his work in Canada and around the world. He is a Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, recipient of the Gold Medal of the Statistical Society of Canada and of the Robert Schuman medal of the European Community.
He is an honorary member of the International Statistical Institute, of the Statistical Society of Canada and an honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.
He provided statistical advice to his native Hungary following its transition to democracy and was awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary in 2004.
