PIPages
Labs

Richard Guo

University of Michigan, MI·Mathematics & Statistics

When researchers use the same data both to spot a pattern and to test whether it is real, they inflate the chance of false discoveries. This practice, called "double dipping," undermines how well results replicate in health, economics, political science and other fields.

Fields

Mathematics & Statistics

Computer Science

Topics

hypothesis testing

statistical inference

double dipping

Grants
1 known grant, through Aug 2028

What they work on

  1. Develop a hunt-and-test version of the classical score test for infinite-dimensional parameters such as regression functions and log-densities, using machine learning to find signals and debiasing to keep the test calibrated.
  2. Remove the randomness of single data splits by aggregating many hunt-and-test replicates and recalibrating them with rank-transformed subsampling, improving power and replicability.
  3. Speed up derandomized testing and increase its statistical power using low-order approximation techniques and adaptive data aggregation.

More about the research

This project develops statistical tests that can search data flexibly for signals and still check them honestly.

Why it matters

False findings from reusing data weaken trust in research. More powerful and reproducible testing methods could help scientists in health, economics and political science draw conclusions from complex data that hold up on replication, supporting more credible results and greater public trust in research.

Known grants

From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.

Hunt-and-Test Procedures: Design and Derandomization

NSF · Sep 2025 – Aug 2028

Closest labs

Daniela Witten

University of Washington, WA·Mathematics & Statistics

Establish semi-parametric efficiency results showing when, and by how much, extra observations with only features X (no outcome Y) improve inference in semi-supervised learning.

Armeen Taeb

University of Washington, WA·Mathematics & Statistics

Develop a framework that organizes complex model classes (partitions, permutations, directed acyclic graphs, subspaces) as partially ordered sets, and use it to define generalized false positive error.

Matias Cattaneo

Princeton University, NJ·Mathematics & Statistics

Demonstrate the empirical and theoretical limitations of binned regression models applied to mixed-frequency panel data in climate economics, showing when they can lead to incorrect conclusions.

The school

University of Michigan: 124 labs on PI Pages, $2.1B a year on research, 963 research doctorates a year.

More about University of Michigan

Reach out

A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.