Statistical Society of Australia upcoming events

Data Science SIG Monthly Catch Up (10 Sep 2026)

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The Data Science SIG's monthly catch up is a place to share any ideas, challenges, cool tech, or anything else data science-related.

Each month we'll come with something new to discuss, but anyone is welcome to lead the discussion. Just let the DSSIG committee know!

The monthly meeting catch ups will be held via Zoom on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 2:00 - 3:00 PM (AEST).

Zoom link

2026 Dates

Thursday 11 June 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 9 July 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 13 August 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 10 September 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 8 October 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEDT
Thursday 12 November 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEDT

SSA SA Branch: 2026 Early Career Statistician Event (14 Sep 2026)

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Are you a student, recent graduate or someone interested in pursuing a career in statistics?

The South Australian Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia invites you to hear from professional statisticians working across research, government and industry. Speakers will share insights into their careers, day-to-day work and potential employment opportunities in the field of statistics.

Date: Monday 14 September 2026

Time: 5:30 pm ACST

Venue: In-person and online

In-person: Barr Smith South Room 2052, Adelaide University, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA.
Online: Zoom/Teams link will be sent to the registration email

Invited speakers:

Representative(s) from the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Chris Davies, Lead Biostatistician, ANZDATA Registry, SAHMRI
Professor Nicole Pratt, Professor of Biostatistics and Pharmacoepidemiology, Adelaide University
Patrick Lim, Director of Statistical Consulting, Resolutum Global

Timetable:

5:30 pm - 6:00 pm - Welcome and Refreshments

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Talks & Q&A

Register via Eventbrite:

2026 Early Career Statistician Career Event Tickets, Monday, September 14 • 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Eventbrite

RSVP by Friday, 11 September 2026

For enquiries, please contact Andie Xu at andie.xu@sahmri.com and Rui Chua at rui.chua@sa.gov.au

Data Visualisation Competition in a Box: A Webinar by the Statistical Computing and Visualisation section (18 Sep 2026)

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 02:30:00 GMT

The Statistical Computing and Visualisation section of the Statistical Society of Australia proudly presents a webinar titled "Data Visualisation Competition in a Box".

Date: Friday 18 September 2026

Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm (AEST)

Online via Zoom: details provided upon registration

Abstract:

Since 2024, the ANU Statistical Support Network has run an annual Data Visualisation Competition inviting research students to submit a graph from their own research alongside a short written explanation of what it shows and why it matters. The format is simple, low-cost to run, and has proven a popular and effective way to get students thinking critically about how they communicate data — while giving statistical consulting units a fun, visible way to engage with the research community. In this webinar, Professor Alice Richardson (Lead, ANU Statistical Support Network) will share the "recipe" behind the competition: how it's structured, judged, and promoted, what's worked well (and what hasn't), and how other institutions or SSA branches could set up their own version. Whether you're part of a university consulting unit, a statistical society branch, or simply curious about running a low-effort, high impact outreach activity, this session will give you everything you need to take the competition and run with it.

Presenter Bio - Professor Alice Richardson, ANU

Alice Richardson is a biostatistician at the Australian National University, where she leads the Statistical Support Network (formerly Director of the Statistical Consulting Unit from 2019). She completed her PhD at ANU on robust methods of estimation for multilevel linear models, after studying at Victoria University of Wellington. She spent twenty years teaching statistics at the University of Canberra before joining ANU's National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health as a biostatistician in 2016. Her research spans robust statistics, data mining methods, applications to large health datasets, and statistics education.

The Personal Journey of Richard Jarrett: A Webinar by Early Career & Student Statisticians Network and History Standing Committee of SSA (22 Sep 2026)

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This series of webinars, a collaboration between the Early Career & Student Statisticians Network (ECSSN) and the History Standing Committee of the Statistical Society of Australia, explores the personal journeys of senior Australian statisticians who have made a significant impact.

Through these conversations, we delve into their career paths, challenges, and achievements, offering valuable lessons and inspiration for early career and student statisticians.

Date: Tuesday 22 September 2026

Time: 2:00pm - 3:15pm (AEST)

Format: Online via Zoom. Details provided upon registration

Abstract:

The interview of Richard for up to 40 minutes, will be conducted by Murray Cameron. There will then be a Q & A by a member of the ECSSN.

Bio: Richard Jarrett

Richard was born in Adelaide. He undertook his secondary schooling at Prince Alfred College and was dux of the school. He undertook undergraduate studies at Adelaide University (1965-68) where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science with first class honours. Consequently, he was awarded a scholarship to do undertake PhD studies at Imperial College, London which he successfully completed.

Richard’s career has been in statistics, but he has worked in many different organisations. On returning to Australia after his PhD studies, he worked for the CSIRO Division of Mathematics and Statistics for 15 years finishing as a Principal Research Scientist, then at the Melbourne University for 4 years as Director of the Statistical Consulting Centre, then for 9 years as Professor of Statistics at Adelaide University, where he taught students in mathematics, science and engineering. He moved back to CSIRO in 2000 working as a Senior Principal Research Scientist in the Division of Mathematical and Information Sciences in Melbourne for 12 Years. Since 2014, he has been working as a Research Fellow in the biometry unit within the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide.

Richard has had a rich and varied career but with a strong practical emphasis. He once described his role as a CSIRO statistician as a 'problem solver who uses data to get to the heart of a problem'. For example, an extrusion process turns large rolls of rubber into windscreen wipers- why does it produce so many defective parts? The solution required identifying the key issues with a team of scientists and engineers, running experiments, then analysing and interpreting the data to uncover the causes. Richard considers the fun of being a statistician is to work with teams to solve a variety of challenging problems.

He was awarded Life Membership of the Statistical Society. He has undertaken many SSA roles including President (1989-91), President of Victorian Branch (1983-84), Chair of the Accreditation Committee (2002-03), and Associate Editor of the Australian Journal of Statistics (1984-89).

He has been invited to give a number of the Society’s named lectures including the Belz Lecture in 1987 and the Knibbs Lecture in 2006.

The interview will be conducted by Murray Cameron who worked with Richard at CSIRO for many years.

Why Attend?

Learn from Experience: Richard's journey offers rich insights into building a career in statistics while leading innovations in education.
Be Inspired: Discover how one person’s passion for teaching and statistical thinking can influence thousands across disciplines and borders.
Contribute to History: This webinar will be recorded, with a transcript prepared to support the History Standing Committee’s work in documenting the evolution of statistics education in Australia.

Who Should Attend?

Early career statisticians
Students aspiring to work in statistics or related fields
Anyone interested in the history and future of statistics education

Click here to view recordings and transcripts for previous webinars in the series.

SSA ACT and Canberra Data Scientists Group Joint Meeting: Generative and Multimodal AI for Trustworthy Recommendation and Causal Decision Support (22 Sep 2026)

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 06:30:00 GMT

The Australian Capital Territory Branch of the Statistical Society will be holding a joint meeting with the Canberra Data Scientists Group on Tuesday 22nd September. After the presentation there will be free pizzas and drinks provided to encourage people to stay afterwards to socialise with other members, members of the Canberra Data Scientists Group and guests. It would be great to see many of you in-person, however if you are unable to do this, in particularly interstate attendees, you have the option to join via Zoom.

Note that the meeting will commence earlier than the usual SSA ACT meetings and is in a different room to those we usually use. The room has limited capacity, so for room setup and catering purposes it is essential that you register via link below.

Date: Tuesday 22 September 2026

Time: 4:30 - 5:30 pm AEST

Venue: Fred Gruen Economics Seminar Room, Level 1, HW Arndt Building 25A, The Australian National University, Kingsley Pl, Acton ACT 2601

Online by Zoom: details provided upon registration

Title: Generative and Multimodal AI for Trustworthy Recommendation and Causal Decision Support

Recent advances in generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and multimodal models are reshaping the landscape of recommender systems and intelligent decision support. While these technologies offer unprecedented capabilities for modelling complex user preferences, generating personalized content, and understanding multimodal information, they also raise critical challenges related to credibility, fairness, explainability, safety, and causal reasoning.

In this talk, the presenter Shoujin Wang will present a series of recent research advances that collectively move recommender systems beyond accuracy-driven optimization toward trustworthy and human-centred AI. First, Shoujin will introduce credibility-aware generative recommendation frameworks based on diffusion models, demonstrating how generation processes can be steered toward more credible and reliable content recommendations. He will then discuss fairness-aware generative recommendation, including a modality-diffused counterfactual framework that addresses missing-modal scenarios while mitigating bias, and a retraining-free approach that promotes fairness in LLM-based recommender systems with minimal deployment cost. Then, Shoujin will present a risk-aware reasoning framework for explainable and safe medication recommendation, illustrating how generative and reasoning-based AI can support high-stakes decision making in healthcare settings. Building upon recommendation foundations, the presenter will briefly explore how large language models can uncover causal relationships hidden in multimodal data, providing a new pathway toward interpretable and causally grounded AI systems. The talk will conclude with a discussion of emerging opportunities and open challenges for building next-generation recommendation and decision-support systems that responsibly assist human decision making across diverse domains.

Presenter Bio: Shoujin Wang

Shoujin Wang has been a Lecturer in Data Science at the University of Technology Sydney since 2022. He obtained his PhD in Data Science from the University of Technology Sydney in 2019. He has been continuously named in Stanford’s List of World’s Top 2% Scientists since 2023. His main research interests include data science, machine learning, recommender systems, and trustworthy AI. He has published more than 100 research papers in these areas, most of which appeared in premier data science and AI conferences or journals, including NeurIPS, ICLR, KDD, The WebConf, SIGIR, AAAI, IJCAI, TKDE, TOIS, and CSUR. His research has been broadly reported by national media outlets, including SBS and ABC Science Show, and cited in policy and government-related documents, including European platforms for national news accessible in all EU languages. Shoujin has actively served the research community in various roles, such as Local Co-Chair of PAKDD 2025, Lead Social Chair of NeurIPS 2026, Senior Program Committee member for KDD, IJCAI, and AAAI, and Associate Editor for ACM Transactions on Recommender Systems. He is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards and honours, including the 2026 Young Investigator Award from Applied Sciences, the AAAI 2026 Outstanding Senior Program Committee Service Award, the 2024 NSW iAwards, the 2023 Royal Society of New South Wales Bicentennial Early Career Research and Service Citations Award, and the 2022 IEEE DSAA Next-Generation Data Scientist Award.

Catering and Room Setup: To assist in catering and room setup, please confirm that you are attending in person by 5pm Monday 21 September by entering your details at SSA ACT Branch / CDSG attendance sheet or contacting Warren Muller (wjmstats@outlook.com 0407 916 868). Please regard this as a firm commitment, not just an intention. For withdrawals after the deadline, please remove your name from the sheet and phone or text Warren (0407 916 868).

Member Consultation Webinar - Proposed Updated SSA Rules and Regulations (29 Sep 2026)

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:00:00 GMT

Updating the SSA’s Rules and Regulations. Members, have your say on the proposed updated Rules which will govern our Society.

The Statistical Society of Australia is updating its Rules and Regulations, and we are now consulting on the proposed new Rules.

Following a consultation process with members in early 2026 on the proposed scope of changes to the SSA’s Rules and Regulations, updated Rules have now been drafted. We are keen to hear member's views on the proposed Rules.

Join Teresa Dickinson, SSA Secretary and Chair of the Rules and Regulations Working Group, at this members only webinar to hear about the key proposed changes to the SSA’s Rules. Teresa and other members of the Working Group will be available to answer questions and hear your feedback.

Date: Tuesday 29 September 2026

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM AEST

Online via Zoom: details provided upon registration

The deadline for submissions is 19 October 2026.

The SSA’s Rules, Regulations and Code of Conduct jointly guide our practice and the expectations of and on our members. Our Rules govern how the Society operates, however they are now outdated. They are no longer in line with the requirements for an association such as ours to be incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and in some key areas they no longer reflect how we do things.

Before you attend the webinar you may be interested in reading the consultation documents we have made available to members: Executive Summary, Consultation Paper and Proposed Updated SSA Rules.

This is a free members only event, but you must register to receive the Zoom link.

Statistical Consulting Network Monthly Meet-Up (30 Sep 2026)

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT

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

Data Science SIG Monthly Catch Up (8 Oct 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:00:00 GMT

The Data Science SIG's monthly catch up is a place to share any ideas, challenges, cool tech, or anything else data science-related.

Each month we'll come with something new to discuss, but anyone is welcome to lead the discussion. Just let the DSSIG committee know!

The monthly meeting catch ups will be held via Zoom on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 2:00 - 3:00 PM (AEST).

Zoom link

2026 Dates

Thursday 11 June 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 9 July 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 13 August 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 10 September 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 8 October 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEDT
Thursday 12 November 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEDT

Async and Parallel R: Building the Open Source Tools. A Webinar by the Statistical Computing and Visualisation section (22 Oct 2026)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:00 GMT

The Statistical Computing and Visualisation section of the Statistical Society of Australia proudly presents an Invited Speaker webinar titled "Async and Parallel R: Building the Open Source Tools" delivered by Charlie Gao, Senior Software Engineer at Posit (formerly RStudio).

Date: Thursday 22 October 2026

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm (AEDT)

Format: Online via Zoom. Details provided upon registration

Abstract: Async and Parallel R: Building the Open Source Tools

Simulation studies, bootstrapping, cross-validation, MCMC - statistical computing is full of work that could run in parallel, yet parallel R too often means a blocked session, a copy of your data on every worker, and code rewritten for each new environment. Over several years I've built the layers needed to fix this: a messaging substrate for reliable async I/O, a framework for async and parallel computing on top of it, and a way to share R objects across processes without copying. This talk is a practical tour of that stack from laptop to HPC cluster, with patterns you can apply to your own analyses straight away, plus a closing look at where the zero-copy model is headed next.

Key Learnings

Attendees will:

Recognise the parallelism already in their workflows — simulation studies, bootstrap, cross-validation, multiple chains — and the two costs that usually cap it: blocked sessions and copied data.
Run R code in parallel with mirai in a few lines, then scale the identical code to their own servers, HPC schedulers or the cloud by changing one line of configuration.
Keep large data in one place with mori: `share()` a dataset once so every worker maps the same memory instead of holding a private copy.
Keep interactive sessions and Shiny apps responsive while heavy computation runs, using event-driven async instead of batch-and-wait.
Know where to start on their own projects: both packages are on CRAN, with a mechanical migration path from existing parallel/future code.

Presenter Bio: Charlie Gao

Charlie Gao is a Senior Software Engineer at Posit (formerly RStudio), where he builds open-source tools for data science and technical communication. He is the author of mirai — R's modern framework for async and parallel computing, now the shared backend behind Shiny, plumber2, purrr, tidymodels, and targets — and mori, which brings zero-copy shared memory to R. Recent speaking engagements include posit::conf(2025) in Atlanta, Japan R 2025 (keynote), and useR! 2026 in Warsaw. He is also a member of the Quarto core team, developing Quarto 2 — the next version of Posit's authoring system, designed for collaboration at its heart.

Any questions, please contact: vic.branch@statsoc.org.au

Statistical Consulting Network Monthly Meet-Up (28 Oct 2026)

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:00:00 GMT

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

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

Slack Workspace link

SSA QLD Branch: Early Career and Student Networking Night (30 Oct 2026)

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:30:00 GMT

The Queensland Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia invites postgraduate students and early career statisticians to an evening built around the question: What does a career in statistics look like? Three speakers, with backgrounds in academia, industry and government, will share their perspective about their beginnings, what their week involves and advice for those starting out. A brief panel session will give an opportunity to ask questions, with an extended networking session over food and drinks following this.

Date: Friday 30 October 2026

Time: 5:30 - 7:30 PM AEST

Venue: Room 14-216, Sir Llew Edwards Building, St Lucia Campus, University of Queensland

Presenter Bios:

Louise Marquart-Wilson, The University of Queensland and Cancer Council Queensland

Louise is a Senior Research Fellow in biostatistics in UQ's School of Public Health and Viertel Cancer Research Centre at CCQ and came to academia after several years as a biostatistician and then senior biostatistician at QIMR. Louise leads and contributes to a range of projects within public health and cancer research, including leading analyses of the Australian Childhood Cancer Registry. Her methodological work centres on interrupted time series and understanding impact of mis-specified models for statistical inference.

Cheng-Han (Kerwin) Lin, Sanofi

Kerwin is a Senior Clinical Biostatistician in Sanofi's Translational Science Hub (TSH), based in Brisbane. He contributes to the statistical and operational aspects of vaccine development, focusing on study design and strategic planning in accordance with ICH GCP guidelines. He also supports data management to ensure clinical data integrity and quality throughout the trial lifecycle. Kerwin has gained comprehensive experience across both contract research organizations (CROs)—including Novotech and Avance—and the sponsor side (Sanofi). His CRO background specialized in operational implementation and trial execution, while his current sponsor-side role emphasizes design and strategic development phases. He holds a Master of Science in Public Health from National Yang Ming University in Taiwan.

David Bridge, Australian Bureau of Statistics

David is the Assistant Director with the Australian Bureau of Statistics Health and Vital statistics division, the national statistical agency responsible for the Census and for the official statistics that inform government policy. Within this role, he contributes to analysis and production of national health and population statistics.

Key Learnings

Understanding the different career pathways available to statisticians, in academia, industry and government
Learning how early stages of a statistics career can look like and how they can evolve over time
Hearing about the application of statistics in diverse projects

Data Science SIG Monthly Catch Up (12 Nov 2026)

Thu, 12 Nov 2026 03:00:00 GMT

The Data Science SIG's monthly catch up is a place to share any ideas, challenges, cool tech, or anything else data science-related.

Each month we'll come with something new to discuss, but anyone is welcome to lead the discussion. Just let the DSSIG committee know!

The monthly meeting catch ups will be held via Zoom on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 2:00 - 3:00 PM (AEST).

Zoom link

2026 Dates

Thursday 11 June 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 9 July 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 13 August 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 10 September 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEST
Thursday 8 October 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEDT
Thursday 12 November 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AEDT

SSA ACT Branch Workshop: Deep Learning and Computer Vision in R: A Practical Introduction (17 Nov 2026)

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 02:30:00 GMT

Join the Australian Capital Territory Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia for a practical, hands-on workshop "Deep Learning and Computer Vision in R: A Practical Introduction", presented by Dr Patrick (Weihao) Li from the Australian National University (ANU).

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Date: Tuesday 17 November AND Wednesday 18 November 2026

Time: 1:30 PM to 5:00PM AEST on both days

Format: Online via Zoom. Details will be provided in your registration confirmation email.

About the Workshop

Deep learning has transformed how we extract insights from images, powering applications across diverse fields such as medical imaging, precision agriculture, autonomous systems, and industrial inspection. While these techniques are increasingly important in modern research, many applied statisticians are unfamiliar with the key concepts and tools behind deep learning and computer vision.

Presenter's Bio - Dr Patrick (Weihao) Li, ANU

Dr Patrick (Weihao) Li is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian National University, working on the Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) project. He holds a PhD in Statistics from Monash University. His research spans machine learning, data visualization, statistical modelling, and computer vision, with a focus on developing computational methods for analysing and interpreting complex data. His current research applies these methods to agricultural, biological, and public health applications. Within the AAGI project, he investigates the interpretation, robustness, and uncertainty of Vision Transformer-based models for automated canola blackleg severity quantification, and contributes to the development of new computational frameworks for fitting complex linear mixed models. He has also contributed to computer vision projects in IVF embryo assessment and video-based food safety monitoring using object detection and vision-language models

Key Learnings:

This hands-on workshop introduces the fundamentals of deep learning and its applications in computer vision, with a focus on accessibility for R users. We will begin with a high-level overview of deep learning and neural networks, building intuition for the key components of modern deep learning models, including layers, activation functions, model training, and optimisation. The workshop will then introduce core computer vision techniques, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for image analysis and more recent approaches such as Vision Transformers (ViTs), which have become increasingly important in modern computer vision applications. Through practical examples, participants will explore how deep learning models can be applied to tasks such as:

Image classification (e.g. assigning images to different categories)
Object detection (e.g. identifying and locating objects within images)
Image segmentation (e.g. identifying and delineating objects or regions at the pixel level)

All workshop activities will be conducted in R, with the reticulate package used to access Python-based deep learning tools. Participants will set up a local Python environment using conda and install the required deep learning libraries before the workshop. Setup scripts and a test script will be provided in advance to help participants verify that their environment is ready.

Participant Requirements

Participants should:

Have a working R and RStudio installation, and complete the required environment setup before the workshop (detailed setup instructions and a test script will be provided in advance)
Be comfortable with basic R tasks (e.g. loading data, using functions, navigating RStudio)
Have familiarity with basic statistical concepts (e.g. regression, classification, and model evaluation)
Be connected via Zoom for workshop participation

Desirable

No prior experience with deep learning, computer vision, or Python is required
Some familiarity with matrices, linear algebra, or optimization concepts may help with understanding key ideas, but is not necessary
Experience with statistical modelling or data analysis workflows is beneficial

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.

SSA VIC & TAS: Belz Lecture and ECSS Showcase (20 Nov 2026)

Fri, 20 Nov 2026 03:00:00 GMT

Abstract submissions for the ECSS Showcase are now open!

Join The Victorian and Tasmanian Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia for the 2026 Belz Lecture and Early Career and Student Statistician (ECSS) Showcase. This hybrid event will begin with the ECSS Showcase, featuring presentations from early career and student statisticians, followed by afternoon tea. The annual Belz Lecture will then be delivered by Dr Carolyn Huston, CSIRO.

Date: Friday 20 November 2026

Time: 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Format: Hybrid

Venue: Peter Hall building, The University of Melbourne. If attending online, Zoom details will be provided closer to event date.

Schedule:

2:00–3:30 pm: ECSS talks (hybrid)
3:30–4:30 pm: ECSS poster session and afternoon tea (in person only; sponsored by UoM Maths & Stats)
4:30–5:30 pm: Belz Lecture (hybrid)

This event is free but registration is required. The ECSS talks and Belz Lecture will be held in the Evan Williams theatre or the JH Mitchell Theatre (to be confirmed after registrations close). The ECSS poster session and afternoon tea will be held in the Staff Tearoom.

The evening will conclude with a canapés dinner at The Clyde at 5:45 pm. Dinner tickets will be available for purchase soon on a separate event page. Each dinner ticket includes shared food platters and one drink.

Call for Abstracts:

Abstract submissions for the ECSS Showcase are now open and will close at
11:59 pm AEDT on Wednesday 7 October 2026. Early Career and Student Statisticians (as defined by SSA) are invited to submit an abstract here. Awards will be presented for best oral and poster presentations.

Eligibility: The Showcase is open to Early Career and Student Statisticians - those who are either:

studying statistics or a related field; or
have graduated within the past 5 years and work in a statistics-related area.

There are no age restrictions, and both SSA members and non-members are welcome to submit.

The Belz Lecture abstract will be available soon.

Belz Lecturer Bio: Dr Carolyn Huston, CSIRO

Carolyn Huston is a senior research consultant at CSIRO with a background in statistics who enjoys applying statistical thinking from data design, modelling, reporting on uncertainty etc. to real life problems where results and methods will be used. She has led multiple projects related to bushfire resilience planning, particularly in the domain of improving electrical network safety.

Key achievements include involvement with the Victorian Government Powerline Bushfire Safety Program (PBSP), contributing to numerical methods that guided $750 million of government investment. This investment resulted in an estimated 60% bushfire safety improvement across electrical distribution networks, and improved statistically supported regulation to support operation of new technologies.

Continued work in this area has led to deep expertise in understanding the factors that cause bushfires; prevent or slow bushfires; and understanding and reporting on different aspects of bushfire consequence. In addition to bushfire commercial work, Carolyn is currently contributing to the strategic development of a number of natural hazards models and emulators, as well as programs to identify efficiency opportunities in manufacturing and supply chain processes.

Altogether her work requires a keen interest in understanding how to improve uptake and effectiveness of AI (as a complex model) in real-life decision making. As a consequence of these interests, Carolyn is currently performing more formal research in responsible innovation and operationalisation and dissemination of equitable AI tools in a trusted and defensible way.

She is also an Officer and Chair of the Data61 Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) committee, and the Analytics and Decision Sciences (ADS) representative for Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) activities and reporting.

Acknowledgements

Organising team: Rick Tankard, Tong Chen, Leon Di Stefano, Elena Tartaglia and Susan Wei

Local support at the University of Melbourne:

Pavel Krupskiy, Rosie Pingitore and Cait Pryse. Thank you to the School of Mathematics and Statistics for sponsoring this event.

For further information, please get in touch with the Victorian and Tasmanian Branch at vic.branch@statsoc.org.au

ADSN Pre-Conference Workshop: Modern Data Linkage Methods and Implementation Using Splink (25 Nov 2026)

Tue, 24 Nov 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Pre-Conference Workshop

Linked data assets, such as Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA), are a rich source of information, allowing the analysis of interconnected systems such as healthcare, government services, education, and taxation. But the creation of these assets is not always straightforward, as often there is not a deterministic way of identifying individuals across datasets, such as with a unique identifier. Probabilistic data linkage methods can help resolve this problem by comparing fields common across datasets and give an estimate of how likely two records belong to the same individual.

Join us for a separate one-day pre-conference workshop on probabilistic linking using the Python package Splink, presented by Aymon Wuolanne and Daniel Fearnley from the Data Linking Methodology section in the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The workshop will cover the theory underpinning probabilistic linking, as well as how to perform a basic Splink linkage. It will also explore advanced techniques for customising Splink for specific use cases. No prior background in probabilistic linking theory is required, although a basic understanding of Python is recommended.

The workshop will be held day before the Australian Data Science Network Conference and is open to everyone, not just conference delegates.

Please note that workshop registration is separate from conference registration.

Date: Wednesday 25 November 2026

Times (AEDT): 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Schedule will be released closer to the date)

Venue: ABS House, Belconnen, ACT

Format: In person

Key Learnings:

Participants will come away with an understanding of the fundamental methods underlying probabilistic linkage and how to perform linkages using Splink.

Presenter Bio:

Daniel Fearnley

Daniel Fearnley joined the ABS in 2011, and has spent the last 3 years in Data Linking Methodology where he has led the team responsible for assessing the feasibility of the probabilistic linkage tool Splink, and the transition to using Splink as the default linking tool for all ABS person-level linkages. His team won the 2026 APS Data Award in Data System and Innovation for their work on Splink. Outside of work, Daniel enjoys cooking and running (because he likes cooking) and earlier this year he and his wife watched every game of the FIFA World Cup.

Aymon Wuolanne

Aymon Wuolanne joined the ABS as a graduate in 2022 and is currently a methodologist in Data Linking Methodology. In 2025 he won the Ken Foreman Award for his work on building the Person Linkage Spine using Splink, and was a member of the team that won the 2026 APS Data Award in Data System and Innovation for their work on Splink. Outside of work, Aymon enjoys walking, reading, video games and running much slower than Daniel.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds: Cancellations made more than two weeks before the event are eligible for a refund, minus: Stripe processing fee: 1.75% + $0.30 per transaction and SSA administration fee: $20. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made within two weeks of the event.

Transfer of Registration: Registrations can be transferred to another person within the same organisation at any time. Please notify changes via email: events@statsoc.org.au

For more information, please contact Ben Harrap : benjamin.harrap@anu.edu.au

Statistical Consulting Network Monthly Meet-Up (25 Nov 2026)

Wed, 25 Nov 2026 01:00:00 GMT

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

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

Slack Workspace link

ADSN Conference 2026 (26 Nov 2026)

Wed, 25 Nov 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Join us in the nation’s capital for the annual Australian Data Science Network Conference. This year’s theme is From Data to Decisions, which focuses on impactful data science that informs decisions, changes minds, and shapes policy.

Conference registration covers both days of the conference and includes registration for the social event in the evening of the first day.

Visit the conference website for more details: Australian Data Science Network Conference 2026 – ADSN2026

Cancellation Policy

Refunds: Cancellations made more than two weeks before the event are eligible for a refund, minus: Stripe processing fee: 1.75% + $0.30 per transaction and SSA administration fee: $20. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made within two weeks of the event.

Transfer of Registration: Registrations can be transferred to another person within the same organisation at any time. Please notify changes via email: events@statsoc.org.au

ADSN Conference 2026 (27 Nov 2026)

Thu, 26 Nov 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Conference registration covers both days of the conference and includes registration for the social event in the evening of the first day.

Visit the conference website for more details: Australian Data Science Network Conference 2026 – ADSN2026

Cancellation Policy

Transfer of Registration: Registrations can be transferred to another person within the same organisation at any time. Please notify changes via email: events@statsoc.org.au

OceaniaR 2026 presented by the Statistical Computing and Visualisation section (29 Nov 2026)

Sat, 28 Nov 2026 22:00:00 GMT

The Statistical Computing and Visualisation section of the Statistical Society of Australia are excited to announce the next OceaniaR event.

Date: Sunday 29 November 2026
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm (AEDT)
Format: In person only
Venue: Monash College City Campus, 750 Collins St, Docklands, Melbourne VIC 3008
Cost: $50 per person

This is an interactive development day and a chance to collaborate and hack in-person on R-focused projects for social good, with some of the leading developers in the R community. There will also be time to hold informal talks to share ideas, concepts and new packages for feedback.

This event will have a focus on promoting projects and participation from R users in the Oceania region including Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

This is the day before the Workshop Organised by the Monash Business Analytics Team (WOMBAT) conference.

Get Involved!

All project ideas for this event are created by attendees!

All participants are encouraged to put forward and idea to work on. These will be listed as Issues on the project Github and the working groups will be decided on the day.

Submit your idea here

Further event details

Cancellation Policy:

Occasionally events have to be cancelled due to a lack of subscription. Early registration ensures that this will not happen.

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 onward 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.