As a Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB), Jeffrey Miecznikowski's research broadly consists of two components. The first component is the development and extension of statistical theory and methods. The second component is a substantial biostatistical interdisciplinary element focused largely but not limited to the health sciences.

Biological Networks: High-dimensional omics data can be analyzed to understand the effects of variables on a response. For understanding the underlying biological mechanism affecting the target, it is important to discover the complete set of relevant variables. Thus, in this context, variable selection is the primary goal. Of special interest are functional modules, i.e., cooperating sets of variables affecting the target which can be characterized by a graph. Our contributions in this area propose new methods to determine the functional modules or sets of variables. We have extended this research to use statistical methods to identify mediating processes or pathways that are important for understanding the causation of an outcome of interest such as disease. An example is genome-wide association studies (GWAS) where considering gene expression as an intermediate step to disease may explain the association of disease with a host’s genotype.

Error Control: The problem of assessing the significance of a single test in light of performing many tests has long been a challenge for statisticians. With the advent of modern ‘omics platforms, there are thousands (or millions) of potential genetic biomarkers evaluated for association with an outcome. The challenge in a multiple testing setting is to develop powerful methods to detect meaningful biomarkers while maintaining error control of the false positives, i.e. declaring a biomarker falsely associated with outcome. We have made several scientific contributions in this area.

Oral Health: Miecznikowski collaborated with researchers and faculty in the SUNYAB School of Dental Medicine (SDM) (https://dental.buffalo.edu/). His projects in SDM are related to biomarker development in Sjögren’s syndrome, the oral microbiome’s role in diabetes and oral health, and the symbiosis between the oral and anal microbiome in HIV positive patients.

Traumatic Brain Injury: Miecznikowski actively collaborate with the SUNYAB Concussion Management Clinic (https://ubortho.com/services/concussion-management-center/). He worked on study design and data analysis designed to assess diagnosis, prognosis and effectiveness of novel treatments for concussion and mild traumatic brain injuries.

• Ph.D. in Statistics; 6/2006, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• M.S. in Statistics; 6/2002, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  
• B.S. in Physics/Mathematics (Summa Cum Laude); 6/2000, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA

• Associate Chair of Strategic Initiatives, Department of Biostatistics, University at Buffalo, August 2024-Present
• Professor, Department of Biostatistics, University at Buffalo, August 2024-Present
• Interim Chair of Department of Biostatistics, University at Buffalo, April 2023-February 2024
• Co-Director for MS Graduate Program in Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, University at Buffalo, December 2015- Present
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedics, University at Buffalo, August 2019-Present
• Associate Professor Department of Biostatistics, University at Buffalo, July 2012-2024
• Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Diversity School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, September 2012 January 2017
• Assistant Professor of Oncology Department of Biostatistics, Roswell Park Cancer Comprehensive Cancer Institute, January 2008-Present
• Assistant Professor Department of Biostatistics, University at Buffalo, August 2005-July 2012

• American Statistical Association

• Selected Fellow for the 2023-2024 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP)
• Full Member in Sigma Xi Honor Society (2023)
• Selected Fellow for the 2023-2024 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP)
• Membership in Delta Omega Honor Society (2022) (Delta Omega Gamma Lambda Chapter)
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year (2019) School of Public Health and Health Professions University at Buffalo
• SUNY University at Buffalo nominee for the J.W. Watson Award from New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (2007) for proposal entitled “Biological spot assay quantification resource”