12 February 2025
Serge Vicente’s dream was to become an archaeologist. He grew up in French-speaking Switzerland, a country involved in the major historical currents that shaped Europe. “I wanted to decipher medieval manuscripts, learn ancient Greek, Latin…” In his early twenties, his life was disrupted when his parents decided to return to their native country: Portugal. There, the lack of prospects as an archaeologist forced him to choose an undergraduate course he will learn to despise, economics. “I found it pointless to study theoretical models that couldn’t be applied in practice,” he explains. Then, a compulsory course in statistics completely altered his perception. Fascinated by the tangible and applied aspect of mathematics, he pursued this path and earned a Master’s degree in Statistics in 2012, from the University of Lisbon.
It’s all Because of Céline!
Serge then considered applying for a PhD in North America, as most knowledge and research in Statistics come from there. As he hesitated between several universities, Céline Dion gave him the push he needed! “Watching a show about Céline Dion, I saw images of Montreal and I really liked it,” he says. “And settling there would allow me to reconnect with my French-speaking roots.” Supported and encouraged by his Master’s supervisor, Professor Isabel Alves, Serge Vicente chose Université de Montréal. His fate was sealed.
Random-Based is not always Truth-Based
His PhD work focused on a method that would collect a sufficiently diverse sample from a target population, to improve its representativity. The standard method of selecting an element from a population is often random-based. Serge noted that the method he was studying yielded similar results to those obtained by random sampling, when the population is homogeneous. However, when the population is heterogeneous, the results obtained by the two sampling methods are very different. If random sampling does not include enough women or racialized people or, on the contrary, includes too many younger or too many older people, results may not be applicable for certain subgroups of the population. Serge Vicente earned his PhD in statistics from Université de Montréal in 2021.
What’s a Statistician Doing in Engineering?
After completing his postdoc at McGill Faculty of Medicine, Serge Vicente wanted to broaden his professional horizons. Through a friend, he learned about an opening teaching position in applied statistics at ÉTS. He accepted with enthusiasm. His goal: to combine statistics with engineering.
During their university studies, engineering students are required to carry out research projects. To answer their research questions, they must often master the statistical lingo and understand various data analysis techniques. “If you choose the wrong method, you’ll get the wrong results,” warns Mr. Vicente.
Theory is not Enough!
Serge Vicente’s long track record both in public health and with the Bureau de consultation statistique gives him invaluable field experience, which he is happy to share with the future cohort of ÉTS engineers. “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” Professor Vicente likes to repeat this quote from George Box, a renowned British statistician.
ÉTS Teaching Professor Serge Vicente
Science evolves, statistics fluctuates, and sometimes in opposite directions. In the 1980s, for example, HIV was perceived as a fatal disease. Today, HIV is recognized as a chronic condition in the same way as diabetes, although infections have been rising in Montreal in recent years. Statistical studies cannot be 100% accurate. “We try to get as close as possible to perfection, which we’ll never achieve,” admits Pr. Vicente.
When Serge Vicente isn’t buried in data analysis, he’s giving aerobics classes, improvising at the piano, playing video games or escaping outside world with a comic book. His days are too short to do all the things he loves.
“While figures help us to understand the ‘how,’ nothing is ever sure, because what is valid today may not be true tomorrow,” Serge Vicente points out.
