Georgia Tech’s Dingjing Shi, assistant professor in the School of Psychological and Brain Sciences, has received a 2026 Best Paper Award from the International Society for Data Science and Analytics (ISDSA) for research advancing statistical methods for mediation analysis.

Dr. Shi received the award for the paper “Selecting Mediators in a Bayesian Exploratory Mediation Model,” co-authored with Dexin Shi and Amanda Fairchild. The award was presented in connection with the 2026 ISDSA Annual Meeting in Beijing, China.

The award-winning work addresses an important methodological challenge in mediation analysis: identifying which variables help explain the mechanisms through which one variable influences another. The researchers develop a groundbreaking exploratory Bayesian mediation modeling framework that improves the selection of potential mediators for dimensionality reduction and quantifies their effects on a continuous scale, a powerful statistical approach that can help researchers analyze complex relationships in psychological, behavioral, and other data-intensive sciences.

ISDSA brings together researchers, practitioners, and educators from around the world to share advances in data science and analytics and discuss emerging directions for the field.

Shi’s research focuses on the development and application of advanced quantitative methods for psychological and behavioral science. Her work strengthens the School of Psychological and Brain Sciences’ growing expertise at the intersection of psychology, quantitative methodology, and data science.

“I am grateful for being part of the community and having the opportunity to represent Georgia Tech and the School of Psychological and Brain Sciences,” Shi said. “It has been an amazing experience coming to Atlanta.”

Tansu Celikel, chair of the School of Psychological and Brain Sciences, said the recognition reflects both the quality of Shi’s scholarship and the School’s commitment to advancing rigorous, innovative approaches to psychological science.

“Dingjing’s achievement highlights both the excellence of her research and the importance of methodological innovation in our field,” Celikel said. “Her work equips researchers with more powerful ways to understand complex psychological, neural, and behavioral processes. It is wonderful to see her scholarship receive this international recognition, and we are fortunate to have her as part of our Georgia Tech community.”

Learn more: The full list of 2026 ISDSA Best Paper Award recipients is available on the ISDSA Annual Meeting website. https://isdsa.org/meeting/index