With attendance regularly exceeding 6,000 participants, the Joint Statistical Meetings is the largest and most comprehensive statistics conference in the world. Held annually in a major North American city, JSM brings together statisticians and data scientists from academia, government, and industry across all areas of the statistical sciences—including a substantial and growing presence for Bayesian methods.
History and Sponsorship
JSM is jointly organized by the American Statistical Association (ASA), the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS), the International Biometric Society (ENAR and WNAR), the Statistical Society of Canada, and the International Chinese Statistical Association, among others. This joint sponsorship gives JSM an unmatched breadth, covering every branch of statistical science from theoretical foundations to the most applied domains.
The first Joint Statistical Meetings are held, combining the separate annual meetings of the ASA, IMS, and Biometric Society into a single, comprehensive event.
As Bayesian methods enter the mainstream, JSM programs include an increasing number of Bayesian sessions, organized by SBSS and other sections.
Bayesian content at JSM continues to expand, with invited sessions, contributed talks, short courses, and poster presentations covering the full range of Bayesian methodology and applications.
A typical JSM features over 600 sessions, more than 3,000 presentations, and attendees from over 50 countries. Bayesian methods are represented across dozens of sessions organized by SBSS and other sections, covering topics from foundational theory to applied modeling in health, environment, social science, and industry. For many statisticians, JSM is the one conference they attend every year.
Bayesian Content at JSM
The Section on Bayesian Statistical Science (SBSS) is the primary organizer of Bayesian content at JSM. Each year, SBSS sponsors several invited sessions on cutting-edge Bayesian topics, as well as topic-contributed sessions and contributed poster sessions. The SBSS student paper competition culminates at JSM, with award winners presenting their research. In addition, other ASA sections and the IMS contribute sessions that feature Bayesian methods in specific application areas.
JSM also offers short courses and continuing education workshops on Bayesian methods, providing hands-on training in tools such as Stan, PyMC, and R packages for Bayesian analysis. These educational events help practitioners who may be new to Bayesian methods gain the skills needed to apply them in their work.
Networking and Career Development
For statisticians at all career stages, JSM is a critical networking and career development event. The conference includes a major job placement service, career development workshops, and extensive opportunities for informal networking. For Bayesian statisticians, JSM provides a chance to connect with colleagues from other methodological traditions, broadening their perspective and identifying opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
"JSM is the crossroads of the statistical profession. If you want to understand where statistics is going—including the growing role of Bayesian methods—there is no better place to be."— JSM attendee
Relationship to Other Conferences
While JSM is not exclusively Bayesian, its size and breadth make it one of the most important venues for Bayesian research in North America. Researchers who attend specialized Bayesian conferences—such as the ISBA World Meeting, O'Bayes, or MCMSki—also typically present at JSM, ensuring that the latest Bayesian developments reach the broader statistical audience.