Statistical Society of Australia upcoming events

SSA Vic & Tas and Monash Statistics and Analytics Club Panel Discussion (20 Aug 2026)

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:30:00 GMT

The Victorian and Tasmanian Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia and the Monash Statistics and Analytics Club (MSAC) are holding a joint in-person event on Thursday 20th August 5:30pm AEST in Melbourne with a panel discussion about careers in statistics.

This free event is open to SSA and MSAC members, but registration on this page is only for SSA members.

Pannelists

Ekaterina Artyukhova

Ekaterina’s career has spanned market research, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, higher education and sports & leisure, all connected by a passion for using data to solve real-world problems. Her career began in market research before moving into data integration at Kraft Foods & Cadbury Russia and later building reporting systems in a fast-growing Turkish company. After completing a Master of Data Science at Monash University, she worked there as a Reporting Analyst in the Faculty of IT. Today, she is part of the E15 team at Levy Australia, supporting data projects for the Australian Open and other large sporting and music events.

Dr Ryan Covey

Ryan is a statistician with the Methodology and Data Science Division of the Australian Bureau of Statistics, where he works on research and statistical production in the areas of survey design and estimation, with a special focus on multi-source data. Ryan began his current role in 2022, after finishing a PhD in econometrics at Monash University on the relationship between sampling variability and predictive accuracy for forecast combinations and ensemble methods. Ryan also taught mathematics and data science as a teaching associate while completing his PhD. Prior to that, he held several roles at Telstra in data science, telecommunications and cyber security.

Dr Lynn Wu

Lynn is a Senior Data Scientist at the Department of Transport and Planning, where she applies statistics, machine learning and spatial analytics to support transport planning and decision-making. She holds a PhD in remote sensing and machine learning, with research focused on precision agriculture.

Dr Alan Pearse

Alan is an early career researcher in statistics. He recently completed a PhD in statistics at the University of Wollongong (conferred Feb. 2025), and he is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Melbourne. His research interests include environmental statistics, spatial statistics, copulas, and some aspects of information theory.

SSA VIC & TAS : Joint MelbURN and SSA Victoria Meeting 2026 (25 Aug 2026)

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Join The Victorian and Tasmanian Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia and the Melbourne Users of R Network (MelbURN) for a relaxed evening of networking, practical learning and discussion on R and artificial intelligence.

The evening will feature Dr Tony Liu, who will provide a short introduction to R and Posit Assistant, focusing on ways to use the tool effectively. The session will be followed by an open microphone, with up to four participants sharing five minute overviews of projects they are currently working on.

Date: Tuesday 25 August 2026

Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Venue: Performance Space, Library at the Dock 107 Victoria Harbour

Promenade Docklands

Registration:

https://www.meetup.com/melburn-melbourne-users-of-r-network/events/315784432/

Presenter Bio:

Dr Tony Liu is the featured speaker for this joint MelbURN and SSA Victoria meeting. He will present an introductory session on R and Posit Assistant, demonstrating practical ways the tool can support and enhance work in R.

Key Learning Outcomes:

Develop an introductory understanding of how Posit Assistant can support work in R.
Explore practical ways to incorporate AI-assisted tools into an R workflow.
Hear short examples of projects currently being undertaken across the R and statistical communities.
Connect with fellow statisticians, R users and data practitioners for future discussion and collaboration.

Event Program :

6:00 pm–6:45 pm — Networking and refreshments

Start the evening by connecting with fellow attendees over pizza, sandwiches and soft drinks.

6:45 pm–7:00 pm — Welcome and announcements

7:00 pm–7:30 pm — Presentation and Q&A

Dr Tony Liu will introduce R and Posit Assistant, followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.

7:30 pm–8:00 pm — Open-microphone session

Up to four participants will each have five minutes to share an overview of a project they are currently working on. SSA members are particularly encouraged to participate.

Additional Information:

Please note that catering can accommodate vegetarian and non-vegetarian options only.

This event is supported by the R Consortium through the R User Group Support Program.

For further information, please contact Hien Nguyen at h.nguyen5@latrobe.edu.au

2026 SSA Annual General Meeting and Census Futures Panel (26 Aug 2026)

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:00:00 GMT

Join us for the 2026 Statistical Society of Australia Annual General Meeting, followed by a panel discussion featuring distinguished experts on “The 2026 Census is (partially) done—what’s in store for 2031?”

Date: Wednesday 26 August 2026

Times (AEST): 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Annual General Meeting: 1:00 pm–1:20 pm
Panel discussion: 1:20 pm–2:00 pm

Format: Online via Zoom: The Zoom link will be provided in your registration confirmation.

Title: "The 2026 Census is (partially) done, what's in store for 2031?”

Abstract:

Following our AGM we will be holding a panel session on the future of the Australian Census. With 2026 Census night behind us - but still much work to be done before results are released - planning is already underway for 2031.

Join Professor James Brown OBE, Professor of Official Statistics and Head of Mathematical Sciences University of Technology Sydney and Georgia Chapman, ABS Director, 2031 Census in conversation with Teresa Dickinson PSM, as we explore how and why Censuses are changing internationally, what changes the ABS is considering for 2031 and what they could explore for the future. We will be considering aspects such as how content of our Census continues to evolve and the growing uses and potential of administrative data to enhance traditional Censuses and provide a pathway to new ways of producing Census-like data.

Presenter Bio's

Professor James Brown, OBE

James has nearly 30 years of experience collaborating with national statistical agencies, particularly in measuring population census coverage and adjusting census outputs for coverage errors. His work has included collaborations on the UK censuses for 2001 and 2011, Scotland’s census for 2022, and New Zealand’s census for 2018 and 2023. He is the current chair of National Records Scotland’s Methods Steering Group for census, a member of ABS Methodology Advisory Committee, a member of ATO’s Tax Gap Panel, and working with Office for National Statistics (UK) on its transformed labour force survey program. More widely, he collaborates across disciplines, including his work with Health+Law on the first legal needs survey for those living with HIV and Hepatitis B.

With his extensive knowledge of Census taking and methodology James is well placed to provide expert commentary on likely and desirable future paths for the Australian Census.

Georgia Chapman

Georgia Chapman has more than 18 years working on official statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the 2031 Census is the fifth Census she has worked on. Georgia played a key role in establishing the 2026 Census Program and also led the content and topic development process where sexual orientation and gender data will be collected for the first time. Her experience spans the full Census cycle, including content review and questionnaire design, community engagement, inclusive strategies and field operations. She has also supported the Fiji Bureau of Statistics in preparing for its 2027 Census, assessing the Census design and readiness for delivery. Other notable roles include leading work to enable all eligible Australians to participate in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey and as Director of Inclusion for the National Disability Insurance Agency.

Georgia’s breadth of experience leading diverse aspects of the Australian Census over 5 Census cycles, and her current responsibility to drive multi-disciplinary work developing options and recommendations for key aspects of the 2031 Census put her in the box seat to talk to this topic.

Teresa Dickinson, PSM

Teresa is now semi retired, with her most recent full-time role being a Deputy Australian Statistician at the ABS, where she led the 2021 Census of Population and Housing and early design work for the 2026 Census. She also had responsibility for ABS’ work to expand the breath and use of linked administrative data, including seeing this data more widely used to support Census 2021. When not being the SSA Secretary Teresa now works with statistical offices in the Asia-Pacific region to improve their leadership, governance and statistical programmes.

SSA Biostatistics & Bioinformatics Section Webinar: Modelling spatial transcriptomics: from flexible cell-type deconvolution to multi-scale spatial factor analysis (9 Sep 2026)

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The Biostatistics & Bioinformatics section of the Statistical Society of Australia invites members to a presentation titled "Modelling spatial transcriptomics: from flexible cell-type deconvolution to multi-scale spatial factor analysis" delivered by A/Professor Heejung Shim, University of Sydney.

Date: Wednesday 9 September 2026

Time: 12:00 pm (AEST)

Format: Online via Zoom. Details provided upon registration

Abstract: Modelling spatial transcriptomics: from flexible cell-type deconvolution to multi-scale spatial factor analysis

Spatial transcriptomics enables the study of gene expression within its spatial context, but introduces key statistical challenges, including mixed cellular composition and complex spatial structure. In this talk, I present two complementary modelling approaches. First, I introduce FlexiDeconv, a cell-type deconvolution method based on a modified Latent Dirichlet Allocation framework. A key feature of this method is its flexible use of reference information, allowing the model to balance prior information from scRNA-seq with signals from observed spatial data, and to adapt when the reference is incomplete or mismatched, a common challenge in practice. I then present WaveFactor, a wavelet-based Bayesian sparse factor model that captures spatial gene expression patterns across multiple spatial scales, enabling the detection of both fine and broad spatial patterns. In addition, WaveFactor can incorporate gene-set information to guide factor inference, while allowing for uncertainty and potential errors in these annotations. Together, these methods illustrate how flexible modelling of prior information and multi-scale modelling of spatial structure can improve our ability to extract biologically meaningful signals from spatial transcriptomics data.

Presenter Bio: A/Professor Heejung Shim, University of Sydney.

A/Professor Heejung Shim is an applied statistician with a focus on statistical bioinformatics and an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. Her research develops statistical and computational methods for multi-omics data analysis. She is currently extending her research into bioinformatics for drug discovery and therapeutic development. She completed a BSc in Mathematics, with a double major in Computer Science and Engineering, at POSTECH in Korea, and a PhD in Statistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in US, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago. Before joining the University of Sydney, she was a Group Leader at Melbourne Integrative Genomics and the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Melbourne, and a Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems. Prior to relocating to Australia, she was a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at Purdue University.

For further information, please contact Alberto Nettel Aguirre at anettela@alumni.ucalgary.ca

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

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

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

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

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