For Dr. Chris Grubb, statistics has always been about solving problems. At the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science (CBHDS), that means partnering with investigators across disciplines, strengthening research through rigorous statistical methods, and helping students develop the skills to become confident researchers themselves.

Grubb joined CBHDS after earning his Ph.D. in Statistics from Virginia Tech. While exploring career paths after graduate school, he found the collaborative nature of the center offered the balance he was looking for.

"It seemed like a middle ground between industry and academia," Grubb said. "It's not exactly the same as being a tenure-track professor where you're responsible for your own funding, but it's not just industry either. It's somewhere in between."

That collaborative environment has allowed Grubb to apply his expertise to a diverse range of health research projects while continuing to grow as both a statistician and educator. 

His academic background centers on computer experiments, an area of statistics that studies complex systems through computational modeling and simulation. Although his current work spans many different research areas, he remains passionate about developing statistical methods that help answer challenging scientific questions.

"That's definitely where my passion lives," Grubb said.

Today, much of Grubb's work falls into two primary areas.

The first involves population health research, where he collaborates with investigators to better understand health trends and outcomes across large populations. His projects have included studying changes in prescription medication use during the COVID-19 pandemic, and analyzing the effect of hurricane Helene on health outcomes, among other public health projects across Virginia Tech. 

The second focuses on advancing rigor and reproducibility in scientific research.

For Grubb, ensuring that research can be reproduced and built upon by others is one of the most important challenges facing modern science.

" It bothers me how often you read a paper and want to implement their methodology, and the code isn't available," he said. "I don't understand how you can get published without doing that type of stuff."

That commitment to reproducible research extends beyond his collaborative work with investigators. Grubb has also helped develop educational materials that promote rigorous research practices and has contributed to Virginia Tech's graduate biometry curriculum. 

One milestone stands out from his time at CBHDS.

Shortly after joining the center, Grubb became a major contributor to writing his first grant proposal. Seeing that proposal receive funding was both professionally rewarding and personally memorable.

"When I was hired, within a couple months we started working on that grant," Grubb said. "It was the first grant I ever helped write. Having that get funded was really cool. I just didn't expect it."

While research remains an important part of his work, Grubb says his greatest satisfaction comes from mentoring students. 

Through collaborations with Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and other programs, he has worked closely with medical students whose projects require advanced statistical and data science methods. Watching those students grow into independent researchers has become one of the most rewarding aspects of his role.

"I've really enjoyed working with those students," Grubb said.

One recent experience reinforced that passion. After attending a student presentation, a CBHDS colleague shared that it was clear the student had embraced many of the statistical principles Grubb had taught throughout the project.

"It made me feel good," he said. 

For Grubb, those moments often outweigh the satisfaction of publishing research papers.

"I think it's more with mentoring," he said. "I get the most enjoyment out of mentoring students who actually want to learn and actually want to do good research."

That philosophy reflects the collaborative mission at the heart of CBHDS. Whether he's supporting investigators on grant proposals, helping researchers strengthen study design, or guiding students through complex analyses, Grubb sees statistics as more than a technical discipline. It's an opportunity to help others produce meaningful, high-quality science.

"It's not just about doing the analysis," he said. "We want the research to be good research."