Matthew Stephens is the Ralph W Gerard Professor of Statistics and Human Genetics at the University of Chicago, USA. He received a BA in Mathematics and Diploma in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Cambridge, and a D.Phil in Statistics from the University of Oxford.

Dr Stephens is a statistician and data scientist, who has made groundbreaking contributions to the practice and applications of statistics in genetics. His research focuses on developing tractable approximations to complex inferential problems, combining innovative probabilistic models and computational methodology.  His contributions have generated breakthroughs in analysis of population structure, statistical haplotype phasing, genotype imputation, multiple testing and Bayesian fine-mapping, which have enabled the discovery and characterisation of many thousands of genetic loci that influence human biology. Software implementing his methods is widely used, including by many large-scale international projects.

Dr Stephens's Honors include the Guy Medal in Bronze from the Royal Statistical Society, the Medallion Lecturer award from the Institute for Mathematical Statistics, and inclusion in the Thomson-Reuters list of Highly Cited Researchers.