Robert Wedderburn (statistician)

Robert William Maclagan Wedderburn (1947–1975) was a Scottish statistician who worked at the Rothamsted Experimental Station. He was co-developer, with John Nelder, of the generalized linear model methodology,[1] and then expanded this subject to develop the idea of quasi-likelihood.[2]

Wedderburn was born in Edinburgh, where he attended Fettes College, then studied for a degree and a diploma in statistics at the University of Cambridge.[3] He died aged 28 of anaphylactic shock from an insect bite while on a canal holiday.[4]

"His colleagues remember him as someone of engaging diffidence, who would nonetheless hold his own in argument when he was sure he was right (as he usually was)," wrote John Nelder in Wedderburn's obituary.[3]

References
  1. Nelder, John A; Wedderburn, Robert W (1972). "Generalized linear models". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A. Royal Statistical Society. 135 (3): 370–384. doi:10.2307/2344614. JSTOR 2344614.
  2. Wedderburn, RWM (1974). "Quasi-likelihood functions, generalized linear models, and the Gauss—Newton method". Biometrika. 61 (3): 439–447. doi:10.1093/biomet/61.3.439.
  3. Nelder, J.A. (1975). "Robert William MacLagan Wedderburn, 1947–1975". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A. Royal Statistical Society. 138 (4): 587. JSTOR 2345239.
  4. Senn, Stephen (2003). "A conversation with John Nelder". Statistical Science. 18 (1): 118–131. doi:10.1214/ss/1056397489.
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