Karen Nielsen

Ph.D., 2017, University of Michigan
M.S., 2014, University of Michigan
B.A., 2011, University of Oklahoma

Biostatistics, Multilevel modeling, Analysis of Physiological Data

Assistant Professor, Population Health Sciences

Dr. Karen Nielsen is an assistant professor of Biostatistics in the department of Population Health Sciences within the School of Public Health at Georgia State University.  She has expertise in multilevel modeling and techniques for modeling time-intensive longitudinal data, including data resulting from physiological sensors and wearable technology.  Dr. Nielsen is committed to developing innovations in statistics and quantitative methods based on practical questions.  Her research interests include the development and application of new statistical techniques for modern data challenges, such as integrating and interpreting multiple data sources with differing timescales, and adapting existing techniques to new use cases.

Dr. Nielsen earned her BA in Mathematics and Psychology at the University of Oklahoma, and her MA and PhD in Statistics and the University of Michigan.  Prior to joining Georgia State, Dr. Nielsen completed her postdoctoral training at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, where she worked with the BioSocial Methods Collaborative to develop methods for the analysis of multimodal data, such as time-series physiological measures and self-report data.

In addition to her methodological development work, Dr. Nielsen enjoys interdisciplinary collaborations across a variety of disciplines including psychology, gerontology, communication, kinesiology, and public health.