Porter (born 1953) is a professor who specializes in the history of science in the Department of History at UCLA.
He has authored several books, including The Rise of Statistical Thinking, 1820-1900; and Trust in Numbers: The Pursuit of Objectivity in Science and Public Life.
His most recent book, published by Princeton University Press in 2004, is Karl Pearson: The Scientific Life in a Statistical Age.
Dr.
Porter graduated from Stanford University with an A.B.
in history in 1976 and earned a Ph.D.
from Princeton University in 1981.
In 2008, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.