Emeritus Professor George Arthur Frederick Seber

Biography

George Seber took his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Physics and his Master's degree in Mathematics at Auckland University and then continued his graduate studies under a Commonwealth Scholarship at Manchester University, England in 1960.

After completing a PhD in Statistics there he spent two years as an Assistant Lecturer in Statistics at the London School of Economics before joining the Auckand Mathematics Department in 1965. In 1971 he was invited to a personal Chair in Biometrics at Otago University but later returned to Auckland in 1973 to take up the first Chair in Statistics and the Headship of a newly created Statistics Unit within the Mathematics Department. He was head of the Mathemtics Dept. from 1975-1980. During this time he was involved with the  splitting off of the Dept. of Computer Science.

He was involved with establishing a new Department of Statistics in 1994.

Research | Current

He graduated as  counsellor/psychotherapist in 2005, has been counselling since 2003, and is now qualified as a counselling supervisor. He has published "Counseling issues: A handbook for counselors and psycotherapists" in 2013, and three statistical monographs (2013-2015) were recently published by Springer. A book entitled "We can believe it: Evidence for Christianity" was published early  in 2016  and he is currently wrting a book in statistial ecology tentatively entitled "Capture -recapture methods for open populations", his 19th book.

Teaching | Current

George is no longer teaching statistics.

Postgraduate supervision

George is no longer supervising students.

Distinctions/Honours

1. May 1959 Awarded the annual prize in Pure Mathematics, Auckland University. Awarded a Senior Scholarship in Mathematics, Auckland University.
2. June 1960 Awarded the following: Fowlds Memorial Certificate for the most distinguished student in the Faculty of Science, Auckland. Shirtcliffe Fellowship (one in New Zealand for all subjects) :  declined. Fulbright Scholarship to the U.S.:  declined. Accepted a Commonwealth Scholarship to U.K.
3. Nov 1997: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (NZ).
4. July 1998: Statistical Ecologist Award by the International Association for Ecology (“for outstanding contributions to the development of basic concepts and applications of statistical ecology”).
5. May 1999: Hector medal in Information Sciences awarded by the NZ Royal Society.
6. April 2004 Elected life member of the NZ Statistical Association.

Areas of expertise

Statistics, counselling, Christian apologetics.