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Antonio Possolo (Fed)

NIST Fellow & Chief Statistician for NIST

Born in Lisboa, Portugal, a naturalized U.S. citizen, living in the U.S. since 1978, earned a Licenciate in Geology from the Classical University of Lisboa, Portugal, and a Ph.D. in statistics from Yale University (under John Hartigan's guidance).

Pre-doctoral professional engagements

Lecturer in the Classical University of Lisboa
Geologist of the Geological Survey of Portugal
Research Assistant to John Hartigan (Yale)
Teaching Assistant for Frank Anscombe (Yale)
Research Assistant to Felix Chayes (Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington)

Post-doctoral professional engagements

Assistant Professor in the Statistics Department of Princeton University (1983-1984)
Assistant Professor in the Statistics Department of the University of Washington in Seattle (1984-1989)
Associate Technical Fellow of The Boeing Company (1989-2000)
Statistician of The General Electric Company (2000-2006)
Chief of NIST's Statistical Engineering Division (2006-2014)
NIST Fellow & Chief Statistician for NIST (since 2014)

Professional interests

Spatial Statistics
Point Processes
Environmental Remote Sensing
Measurement Uncertainty
Metrology
Foundations of Probability Theory and of Statistical Inference

Other interests

Classical music (Romantic repertoire and Bel Canto opera)
Literature
Philosophy of Science
Football (Soccer)

Recent publications (5 Years)

  • 2019. C. Merkatas, B. Toman, A. Possolo, and S. Schlamminger.  Shades of Dark Uncertainty and Consensus Value for the Newtonian Constant of Gravitation, Metrologia 56(5): 054001
  • 2019. A. Possolo, C. Merkatas, and O. Bodnar. Asymmetrical uncertainties.  Metrologia 56(4): 045009
  • 2019. J. R. Sieber, M. S. Epstein, and A. M. Possolo. A Retuned Horwitz Procedure for Upgrading Certificates of Older Standard Reference Materials. NIST Special Publication 260-198, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
  • 2019. J. Hodges et al.  Recommendation of a consensus value of the ozone absorption cross-section at 253.65 nm based on literature review. Metrologia 53(3): 034001
  • 2018. C. Liaskos et al. CCQM-K121 -- Monoterpenes in nitrogen at 2.5 nmol/mol Final Report. Metrologia 55, Technical Supplement: 08019
  • 2018. A. R. Montoro Bustos et al. Post hoc Interlaboratory Comparison of Single Particle ICP-MS Size Measurements of NIST Gold Nanoparticle Reference Materials. Analytical Chemistry 90(24): 14376-14386
  • 2018. A. Possolo. Statistics and Metrology. Wiley StatsRef: Statistics Reference Online (8 pages).
  • 2018. A. Possolo. Measurement. Pages 273-285 in A. B. Forbes et al. (editors), Advanced Mathematical and Computational Tools in Metrology and Testing: AMCTM XI,  World Scientific Publishing Company, Singapore
  • 2018. A. Possolo. Measurement Models. Pages 70-84 in A. B. Forbes et al. (editors), Advanced Mathematical and Computational Tools in Metrology and Testing: AMCTM XI, World Scientific Publishing Company, Singapore
  • 2018. J. A. Slotwinski, W. E. Luecke, E. A. Lass, A. Possolo. Interlaboratory mechanical-property study for Cobalt-Chromium alloy made by laser powder-bed-fusion additive manufacturing.  NIST Technical Note 2006, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
  • 2018. C. U. Brown et al. The effects of laser powder bed fusion process parameters on material hardness and density for nickel alloy 625. NIST AMS 100-19. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
  • 2018. A. L. Plant, C. A. Becker, R. J. Hanisch, R. F. Boisvert, A. M. Possolo, J. T. Elliott. How measurement science can improve confidence in research results. PLOS Biology 16(4): e2004299
  • 2018. A. Possolo, S. Schlamminger, S. Stoudt, J. R. Pratt, C. J. Williams. Evaluation of the accuracy, consistency, and stability of measurements of the Planck constant used in the redefinition of the international system of units. Metrologia 55(1): 29-37
  • 2018. A. Possolo et al.  Value Assignment and Uncertainty Evaluation in Single-Element Reference Solutions. Metrologia 55(3): 404-413
  • 2018. A. Possolo, A. M. H. van der Veen, J. Meija and D. B. Hibbert. Interpreting and propagating the uncertainty of the standard atomic weights, IUPAC Technical Report. Pure and Applied Chemistry 90(2): 395-424
  • 2018. A. Possolo, O. Bodnar. Approximate Bayesian evaluations of measurement uncertainty. Metrologia 55(2): 147-157
  • 2017. J. Viallon et al.  CCQM-K90, formaldehyde in nitrogen, 2 umol/mol, Final Report.  Metrologia 54, Technical Supplement: 08029
  • 2017. A. Possolo, A. L. Pintar. Plurality of Type A evaluations of uncertainty. Metrologia 54(5): 617-632
  • 2017. K. W. Phinney et al. Value Assignment of Vitamin D Metabolites in Vitamin D Standardization Program Serum Samples.  Journal of AOAC International 100(5): 1253--1259
  • 2017. D. Haddad et al. Measurement of the Planck constant at the   National Institute of Standards and Technology from 2015 to   2017. Metrologia 54(5): 633-641
  • 2017. A. Possolo, H. K. Iyer. Concepts and tools for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty. Review of Scientific Instruments 88(1): 011301
  • 2017. H. H. Chen-Mayer et al. Standardizing CT lung density measure across scanner manufacturers. Medical Physics 44(3): 974-985
  • 2017. A. Koepke, T. Lafarge, A. Possolo, B. Toman. Consensus building for interlaboratory studies, key comparisons, and meta-analysis. Metrologia 54(3): S34-S62
  • 2017. A. Koepke, T. Lafarge, B. Toman, A. Possolo. NIST Consensus Builder — User's Manual. https://consensus.nist.gov.  National Institute of Standards and Technology. Gaithersburg, MD
  • 2017. J. Meija, A. Possolo. Data reduction framework for standard atomic weights and isotopic compositions of the elements. Metrologia 54(2): 229-238
  • 2016. C. U. Brown, G. Jacob, M. R. Stoudt and A. M. Possolo, S. P. Moylan, M. A. A. Donmez. Supplementary information for a round robin study of additively manufactured nickel alloy (IN625) tension specimens. NISTIR 8100. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
  • 2016. T. Bartel, S. Stoudt, A. Possolo. Force calibration using errors-in-variables regression and Monte Carlo uncertainty evaluation. Metrologia 53(3): 965-980
  • 2016. O. Bodnar, A. Link, B. Arendacka, A. Possolo, C. Elster. Bayesian estimation in random effects meta-analysis using a non-informative prior. Statistics in Medicine 36(2): 378-399
  • 2016. O. Bodnar, C. Elster, J. Fischer, A. Possolo, B. Toman. Evaluation of uncertainty in the adjustment of fundamental constants.  Metrologia 53(1): S46-S54
  • 2016. A. Possolo. The NIST Simple Guide for Evaluating and Expressing Measurement Uncertainty.  Journal of Physics: Conference Series 772: 012024
  • 2016. A. Possolo. Introducing a Simple Guide for the evaluation and expression of the uncertainty of NIST measurement results.  Metrologia 53(1): S17-S24
  • 2016. G. C. Rhoderick et al. Development of a Northern Continental Air Standard Reference Material. Analytical Chemistry 88(6): 3376-3385
  • 2016. G. C. Rhoderick et al. Development of a southern oceanic air standard reference material. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 408(4): 1159-1169
  • 2016. A. Possolo. Spatial Statistics: Marks, Maps, and Shapes. Quality Engineering 28(1): 69-90
  • 2015. A. R. Montoro Bustos, E. J. Petersen, A. Possolo and M. R. Winchester.  Post hoc Interlaboratory Comparison of Single Particle ICP-MS Size Measurements of NIST Gold Nanoparticle Reference Materials. Analytical Chemistry 87(17): 8809-8817
  • 2015. B. K. Lamb et al. Direct Measurements Show Decreasing Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Local Distribution Systems in the United States. Environmental Science & Technology, 49(8): 5161-5169
  • 2015. A. Possolo. Simple Guide for Evaluating and Expressing the Uncertainty of NIST Measurement Results.  NIST Technical Note 1900, National Institute of Standards and Technology, http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.1900, Gaithersburg, MD
  • 2015. T. Lafarge, A. Possolo. The NIST Uncertainty Machine. NCSLI Measure Journal of Measurement Science, 10(3): 20-27

Awards

Gold Medal (Scientific/Engineering Achievement), U. S. Department of Commerce, 2010 — for extraordinary dedication and technical achievements in the application of statistical methods to measurement science to characterize and improve the estimates of areas dedicated to illicit coca cultivation

Silver Medal (Scientific/Engineering Achievement), U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011 — For participation in the national response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico

Secretarial Honor Award, U.S. Department of Energy, 2011 — In recognition of your contributions to the Flow Rate Technical Group / Nodal Analysis Team's swift and effective response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill [...] helping to speed the ultimate solution and reduce the environmental cost of the disaster.

U.S. Geological Survey Director's Award, 2010 — for exemplary service to the Nation in relation with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: your answers and insights helped guide important decisions and made a very real and positive difference during the response to this unprecedented oil spill event.

 

Publications

Certification of Standard Reference Material® 1595a Tripalmitin

Author(s)
Michael Nelson, Jerome Mulloor, Brian Lang, Blaza Toman, Antonio Possolo, William Perry, Alicia Lyle
Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1595a Tripalmitin is a high purity chemical substance having a certified value for purity, expressed as a mass fraction. It is

Errors-in-variables calibration with dark uncertainty

Author(s)
Christina Cecelski, Blaza Toman, Fong-Ha Liu, Juris Meija, Antonio Possolo
A model for errors-in-variables regression is described that can be used to overcome the challenge posed by mutually inconsistent calibration data. The model

International comparison CCQM-K10.2018: BTEX in nitrogen at 5 nmol mol−1

Author(s)
Christina Cecelski, George C. Rhoderick, Antonio Possolo, Jennifer Carney, Miroslav Vokoun, Jitka Privoznikova, Sangil Lee, Ji Hwan Kang, Yong Doo Kim, Dal Ho Kim, Tatiana Mace, Christophe Sutour, Celine Pascale, Napo Ntsasa, James Tshilongo, Mudalo Jozela, Nompumelelo Leshabane, Goitsemang Lekoto, David Worton, Paul Brewer, Fred Farrow-Dunn, Sergi Moreno, Klaus Wirtz, Volker Stummer, L.A. Konopelko, A.V. Kolobova, Y.A. Kustikov, A.Y. Klimov, O.V. Efremova, Janneke van Wijk, Adriaan van der Veen
The CCQM-K10.2018 comparison aimed to evaluate the capabilities of national metrology institutes (NMIs) to prepare and/or value assign primary reference
Created March 26, 2019, Updated December 8, 2022