Jogesh Babu has diverse research interests in both statistics and probability, and in their applications to problems in biomedical research, genetics, astronomy and astrophysics. He has contributed extensively to probabilistic number theory (Erdös Number 1), resampling methods, nonparametric methods and asymptotic theory. Babu's work in astrostatistics includes multivariate methods for satellite data on Gamma-ray bursts, quantitative comparison of source properties to compare data with astrophysical theories and regression methods to calibrate steps in the cosmic distance ladder. The last one has important application in determining the size of the universe.

The National Virtual Observatory (NVO) initiative has recently emerged, in response to a top priority recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences' Taylor/McKee Decadal Report on astronomy for 2000-2010, to federate numerous large digital sky archives and develop tools to explore and understand these vast volumes of data. The National Science Foundation awarded a three-year research grant of over a million dollars to G. J. Babu to lead an interdisciplinary team from Penn State, California Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University, to address some of the critically important statistical challenges raised by the NVO.

To enhance the dialog between astronomers and statisticians on important research issues Drs. Babu and Feigelson organized international conferences on `Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy' at Penn State in August 1991, June 1996, July 2001, June 2006. Babu organized summer schools in statistics for astronomers in June 2005, June 2006, June 2007, June 2008, June 2009 at Penn State. The 2007 Summer school in statistics for astronomers received the 2007 University Continuing Education Association (Mid-Atlantic Region) award for exemplary non-credit program development. He has also organized summer schools in statistics for astronomers in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in July 2007, July 2008 at Vainu Bappu Observatory located near the village of Kavalur in India.

A Web metasite called StatCodes is being maintained at Penn State which provides hypertext links to many statistical codes useful for astronomy and related fields. Another service is VOStat, a web based service providing a suite of tools allowing astronomers to use both simple and sophisticated statistical routines on datasets. The user interacts with VOStat through the VOStat interactive Web form.

Babu is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS), a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), an elected member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) and a 1997-1999 Twinning Fellow of the National Research Council (NRC). Chair, IMS Committee on Fellows 2002-2003, and member of the IMS Committee on Fellows 2001-2004. Research Professor, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley January - March 2005. Chair, Program Leaders Committee, SAMSI Astrostatistics Program January - May 2006.

Babu is a Core Team Member of Informatics and Statistics Science Collaboration of Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Babu is Vice-Chair, Executive Board of ISI Astrostatistics Committee.

Babu is the Editor-in-Chief of Statistical Methodology. He served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Nonparametric Statistics, Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference, and Sankhya.

Babu led the Master of Applied Statistics Program in the Department of Statistics at Penn State as its Professor-in-charge until 2007. This is a professional masters degree program that aims to provide its graduates with employable, highly sought after skills in Applied Statistics demanded by government agencies, consulting firms and industries.

Babu, G. Jogesh.  Probabilistic methods in the theory of arithmetic functions. Macmillan Lectures in Mathematics, 2. Macmillan Co. of India Ltd., New Delhi, 1978. ISBN: 0-33390-274-2. (Math Review by J. Kubilius).

Feigelson, E. D.; Babu, G. J. Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy, Springer-Verlag, New York,1992.

Babu, G. J.; Feigelson, E. D. Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy II, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1997.

Babu, G. J.; Feigelson, E. D. Astrostatistics, Chapman and Hall, London, 1996. Reprinted 1997.

Feigelson, E. D.; Babu, G. J. Statistical Challenges in Astronomy, Springer-Verlag, New York, 2003.

Babu, G. J.; Feigelson, E. D. Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy IV, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Fransisco, California, Vol 371, 2007.