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• Statistical Consulting Network Monthly Meet-Up

  • Start
    25 Feb 2026
  •  
  • End
    25 Nov 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    10 sessions
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Come along with your thinking cap, maybe a problem, and some lunch!

  The Statistical Consulting Network invites you to their monthly online meet-up, a virtual lunchtime meeting where statisticians help each other out with problems that they aren’t sure how to deal with.

  This virtual meeting is held on Zoom at lunchtime on the last Wednesday of each month, 12:00 - 1:00 PM (AEST). They start each meet-up with announcements, or occasionally a special topic discussion, then discuss problems that attendees have brought along with them.

  Zoom link

  Password: 543284

  Calendar invite: ​​Stats Consulting Network meeting.ics

  2026 Dates

  • Wednesday 25 February 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM AEDT
  • Wednesday 25 March 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEDT
  • Wednesday 29 April 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEST
  • Wednesday 27 May 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEST
  • Wednesday 24 June 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Wednesday 29 July 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEST
  • Wednesday 26 August 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEST
  • Wednesday 30 September 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEST
  • Wednesday 28 October 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEDT
  • Wednesday 25 November 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AEDT

  
  The Statistical Consulting Network also has a Slack workspace where members of the consulting network can communicate between meetings, or post problems or relevant materials they would like to discuss during a meeting.​​

  Slack Workspace link  

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• Where Do R Packages Live: a Webinar by the Statistical Computing and Visualisation section

  • When
    20 May 2026
  •  
    5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
  • Location
    Online

  Register

  The Statistical Computing and Visualisation section of the Statistical Society of Australia proudly presents a webinar on Where Do R Packages Live.

  
  

  Date: Wednesday 20 May

  Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM (AEST)

  Online via Zoom: details provided upon registration

  Abstract:

  Where R Packages Live brings together key stewards of the R ecosystem for a behind-the-scenes chat about where R packages are built, reviewed, distributed, and sustained.

  Featuring representatives from R foundation, CRAN, Bioconductor, R-universe (rOpenSci), and Posit, this panel will unpack the distinct roles each platform plays - and how they collectively interact with our work

  Whether you’re a developer, researcher, or data scientist, this discussion will demystify the infrastructure underpinning R’s package ecosystem and offer practical guidance on choosing the right home for your work.

  Key Learnings from attending webinar

  • Understand the roles and differences between R foundation, Bioconductor, R-universe, and Posit in the R ecosystem
  • Learn the submission, review, and maintenance expectations across platforms
  • Identify which repository or distribution pathway best suits different use cases of R packages
  • Gain insight into long-term sustainability, discoverability, and governance of packages

  Speaker Bios

  Di Cook (she/her), R Foundation - Melbourne

  
  

  Di Cook is Professor of Statistics in Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University, Melbourne. She is a member of the R Foundation Board and a past editor of the R Journal. She is a co-author of 37 R packages and the maintainer of 6 packages on CRAN. Her representation on the panel brings experience in successfully sharing with CRAN and publishing papers on the software.

  Stevie Pederson (they/them), Kids Institute, Bioconductor - Adelaide

  
  

  Having run the Bioinformatics Hub at the University of Adelaide from 2014-2020, Dr Stevie Pederson is now based at The Kids Research Institute Australia, leading the analysis of the transcriptomics layer for a large cohort, multiomics study addressing the high Type 2 Diabetes rates within the Australian Aboriginal community. Since commencing in 2015, their 3-day training course "RAdelaide" has become one of the largest & longest running R training events in Australia.

  They are also an enthusiastic member of the Bioconductor developer community, as the maintainer of 5 Bioconductor packages and 1 CRAN package, and currently serve as Co-Chair of the Bioconductor Community Advisory Board.

  Jeroen Ooms (he/him), rOpenSci, R universe, CRAN team - Amsterdam

  
  

  Jeroen Ooms is a research software engineer focused on the R programming language and open-source tools. He currently divides his time between developing R-universe, funded via the R Consortium, and working with the Tidyverse team at Posit, where he maintains key R packages and contributes to projects including the R WebAssembly port. He earned his PhD in Statistics from UCLA in 2014 and has also worked with rOpenSci and UC Berkeley.

  Jeroen is widely known for his contributions to the R ecosystem and for building infrastructure that supports reproducible, accessible, and community-driven software development.

  Valerie Bucur (she/her), Posit PBC - Amsterdam

  
  

  Valerie Bucur is a software engineer at Posit PBC working on the Package Manager team. She’s been with the team 3.5 years and in the software engineering industry for over 15 years. Her area of focus is package security and auditing. She also has previous experience with administration, DevOps, and infrastructure management.

  
  

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• Australian Bureau of Statistics Workshop: Effective Statistical Consulting

  • When
    4 Jun 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Workshop: Effective Statistical Consulting. Negotiation, Scoping and Client Communication Skills.

  Build practical consulting capability through interactive sessions focused on defining problems, scoping work and communicating statistical advice effectively.

  Date: Thursday 4th June 2026

  Time: 11am to 1pm, and 2pm to 4pm (AEST)

  Online by Zoom: Link provided upon registration

  To register, you MUST be an ABS staff. Please email your expression of interest to Paul Schubert at paul.schubert@abs.gov.au.

  Title: Effective statistical consulting

  Successful statistical consulting is grounded in effective negotiations with clients and skilful communication. This workshop will combine formal presentations with interactive activities to present principles and practice of negotiating with clients to define a project or problem and scoping work on a project. The workshop will include a session on developing effective communication skills in working collaboratively with clients

  Presenters: Professor Ian Gordon and Associate Professor Sue Finch

  
  

  Ian is the Director of the Statistical Consulting Centre at the University of Melbourne with over 45 years of experience in applied statistical work. He works with clients from academia, business, industry and government. Ian has acted as an expert witness in many court cases in a variety of jurisdictions. Ian was President of the Statistical Society of Australia from 2002 to 2024. Ian has been teaching statistical consulting skills to post-graduate students for about 30 years.

  Sue is the Deputy Director of the Statistical Consulting Centre. She brings to consulting over 40 years of experience in working in the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Victorian government agencies, and academic institutions. Sue is co-chair of the Statistical Consulting Network of the Statistical Society of Australia.

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• SSA WA Branch Seminar: Improving Precision Healthcare for Under-represented and Genetically Diverse Global Populations

  • When
    9 Jun 2026
  •  
    6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Location
    Robert Street Lecture Theatre, The University of Western Australia

  Register

  The Western Australian Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia invites you to a presentation, "Improving precision healthcare for under-represented and genetically diverse global populations" by Dr Jimmy Breen, Chief Data Scientist of the Indigenous Genomics research group at The Kids Research Institute Australia.

  Date: Tuesday 9 June 2026

  Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (AWST)

  Venue: Robert Street Lecture Theatre, The University of Western Australia 

  In person only event

  Title: Improving precision healthcare for under-represented and genetically diverse global populations

  Precision healthcare holds immense potential to transform disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment by tailoring care to an individual’s genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The majority of genomics research however, has been focused on populations of European ancestry, leaving under-represented and genetically diverse global populations, such as Indigenous Australians, underserved. This gap limits the generalisability of biomedical insights and exacerbates existing health inequities, but also limits the utility of language models that may have a significant impact on the way that genetic variants can be prioritised for drug discovery. In this talk, I describe some of the challenges associated with the analysis of Indigenous Australian genomes and discuss approaches that our team are using to develop precision approaches for primary healthcare in Australia.

  Presenter: Associate Professor Jimmy Breen

  
  

  Associate Professor Jimmy Breen is the Chief Data Scientist of the Indigenous Genomics research group at The Kids Research Institute Australia in Adelaide. His group is the primary curator of multiomics datasets produced in the South Australian Aboriginal Diabetes Study (PROPHECY - Predicting Renal, Ophthalmic, and Heart Events in the Aboriginal Community), a project aimed at assessing the levels of complications in Aboriginal people with Diabetes. He has 20 years of experience working as a Bioinformatician, primarily in Australia and Europe, working on diverse areas such as Plant Genetics, Ancient DNA, Viticulture, Reproductive Biology, Clinical Oncology and Precision Healthcare.

  Refreshments and Dinner

  Members and visitors are invited to mingle over wine and cheese from 5:30 PM onwards at the venue. Following the meeting, all are invited to dine at a nearby restaurant. Visitors are welcome.

  Venue details

  The Robert Street Lecture Theatre (RBST[G16]; 272.G16) is located on the ground floor of the Robert Street Building (RBST; 272 General Purpose Building 2) at The University of Western Australia. Its entrance is near the north-eastern corner of the building. See: UWA Maps, Google Maps.

  Parking is free on the UWA Crawley campus after 5:00 PM. A convenient place to park is Car Park 51, accessible from Fairway Entrance 1.

  For further information please contact the WA Branch Secretary: ssa.wa.secretary@gmail.com

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• SSA and NZSA Mentoring Program Professional Skills Webinar Series. Webinar 3: Robust reproducible research

  • When
    18 Jun 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  Join us for the SSA Mentoring Program Professional Skills Webinar Series, which in 2026 will be co-delivered with the NZSA Mentor Programme. This online professional development series is invaluable to statisticians who are looking to improve and enhance their skills in communication, time and project management. 

  
  

  Webinar 3: 

  Robust Reproducible Research

  Presenter: Dr Simon Tuke, University of Adelaide

  Date and Time: Thursday 18th June 2026, 12pm AEST

  
  

  Abstract

  “You did an analysis for me two years ago, well I have some new data to add to it”. Welcome to the world of statistical consulting. So how do we get from WTF to no hassle? In this webinar, we will look at some of the tools of the trade to ensure that the analysis you do today will make sense to future you. Topics covered with be project structure; version control; using quarto; and leaving breadcrumbs. Come along and see if there is anything that the presenter does, that you could steal. 

  
  

  Presenter's Bio - Dr Simon Tuke

  
  

  Dr Tuke started his career as a veterinarian. After 12 years, he headed back to university to study maths and ended up with a PhD in statistics. He now lectures in statistics at the University of Adelaide and strongly believes that everyone should know stats.

  
  

  Webinars:

  • Webinar 1: Thursday 23rd April 2026 12pm AEST. Building a team, one person at a time - A/Prof David Price, Doherty Institute
  • Webinar 2: Thursday 7th May 2026 11am AEST. Effective networking as a statistician - Prof Kelley M Kidwell, University of Michigan

  • Webinar 3: Thursday 18th June 2026 12pm AEST. Robust reproducible research - Dr Simon Tuke, University of Adelaide

  • Webinar 4: Thursday 30th July 2026 12pm AEST. Unlock your Mentoring Potential -  Lisa Thomasen, Fonterra, New Zealand

  
  

  Fees:

  • Mentoring program participants – Free (both SSA and NZSA) Registration code required
  • Non SSA/NZSA Members – $60.00 
  • SSA/NZSA Members – $30.00 

  
  

  Cancellation Policy:

  Cancellations received prior to two weeks before the event will be refunded, minus the Stripe processing fee (1.75% + $0.30 per transaction) and an SSA administration fee of $20.

  From then on, no part of the registration fee will be refunded. However, registrations are transferable within the same organisation. Please advise any changes to events@statsoc.org.au.  

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• ICOTS -12th International Conference on Teaching Statistics

  • Start
    12 Jul 2026
  •  
  • End
    17 Jul 2026
  •  
  • Location
    Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC)

  The 12th International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS 12), to be held in Brisbane, 12–17 July 2026, will be the first time ICOTS will be hosted in Australia.

  We are delighted to announce the ICOTS 12 keynote speakers:

  • Prof Mine Çetinkaya–Rundel – Duke University

  • Prof Dianne Cook – Monash University

  • Emeritus Prof Sir Peter Donnelly – Genomics PLC, University of Oxford

  • Prof Rob Gould – UCLA

  • Dr Elena Proden – UNITAR

  These outstanding speakers will bring a wealth of expertise and perspectives to ICOTS 12, setting the stage for an inspiring and thought-provoking program.

  Key dates:

  • Abstract submission deadline: 31 August 2025

  • Notification of acceptance: 30 September 2025

  • Optional refereed paper submission deadline: 30 November 2025

  • Final papers (refereed and non-refereed) due: 30 April 2026

  All accepted abstracts will appear in the official Conference Program and online Proceedings. Oral presenters are encouraged (but not required) to prepare a full paper for the Proceedings. Refereed papers will be clearly labelled as such.

  For more information, please visit: https://icots12.oa-event.com

  We look forward to welcoming you to Brisbane in 2026 for this landmark event in statistics education!

  
  

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• SSA and NZSA Mentoring Program Professional Skills Webinar Series. Webinar 4: Unlock your Mentoring Potential

  • When
    30 Jul 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  Join us for the SSA Mentoring Program Professional Skills Webinar Series, which in 2026 will be co-delivered with the NZSA Mentor Programme. This online professional development series is invaluable to statisticians who are looking to improve and enhance their skills in communication, time and project management. 

  
  

  Webinar 4: 

  Unlock your Mentoring Potential

  Presenter: Lisa Thomasen, Fonterra, New Zealand

  Date and Time: Thursday 30th July 2026, 12pm AEST

  
  

  Abstract

  Mentoring can be a gamechanger for many individuals, with participants from both the SSA and NZSA Mentoring Programs sharing the benefits they’ve experienced. Every mentoring relationship is unique, with experiences varying widely. This session will explore some of the key differences between mentoring relationships with a focus on formality, longevity and preparation including tips on how to customise your mentoring relationship to make mentoring work for you. 

  
  

  Presenter's Bio - Lisa Thomasen

  

  Lisa Thomasen has been a consultant statistician in industry for the past decade and is currently lead research statistician at Fonterra in New Zealand. Her work includes modelling milk powder functionality, analysing cheesecake performance, and investigating consumer preferences of yoghurts. Lisa co-ordinates the New Zealand Statistical Association (NZSA) mentoring program and was the 2024 recipient of the NZSA Campbell Award for her advocacy for students, early-career, and professional statisticians alongside her mentoring and community-building initiatives in this space.

  
  

  Webinars:

  • Webinar 1: Thursday 23rd April 2026 12pm AEST. Building a team, one person at a time - A/Prof David Price, Doherty Institute
  • Webinar 2: Thursday 7th May 2026 11am AEST. Effective networking as a statistician - Prof Kelley M Kidwell, University of Michigan

  • Webinar 3: Thursday 18th June 2026 12pm AEST. Robust reproducible research - Dr Simon Tuke, University of Adelaide

  • Webinar 4: Thursday 30th July 2026 12pm AEST. Unlock your Mentoring Potential -  Lisa Thomasen, Fonterra, New Zealand

  
  

  Fees:

  • Mentoring program participants – Free (both SSA and NZSA) Registration code required
  • Non SSA/NZSA Members – $60.00 
  • SSA/NZSA Members – $30.00 

  
  

  Cancellation Policy:

  Cancellations received prior to two weeks before the event will be refunded, minus the Stripe processing fee (1.75% + $0.30 per transaction) and an SSA administration fee of $20.

  From then on, no part of the registration fee will be refunded. However, registrations are transferable within the same organisation. Please advise any changes to events@statsoc.org.au.  

  Show details