CPD 204 - Communicating Across Disciplines: A Workshop for Statisticians and Data Scientists

The SSA proudly presents: Communicating Across Disciplines: A Workshop for Statisticians and Data Scientists presented by Tim Macuga.

"The best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone's backyard." - John Tukey

This quote resonates with many statisticians and data scientists. Your skills are in demand across countless domains — from medicine to marketing, from engineering to environmental science.

But being invited into someone else’s backyard doesn’t mean they’re ready to play. Communicating across disciplines means more than just translating terms — it’s about bridging mindsets, expectations, and assumptions.

• Have you ever been brought into a project after the key decisions were made?

• Or had your recommendations waved off as too technical?

Researchers from other disciplines may not immediately understand the value of your expertise. Some may be sceptical, resistant, or even defensive. Miscommunication and mismatched expectations can hold back collaboration and limit your impact.

This hands-on workshop helps you navigate those barriers — not by simplifying your work, but by communicating it in ways that others can understand, trust, and act on.

Tim is a seasoned Science Communicator with extensive experience in journalism and a passion for bridging the gap between complex research and broad audiences. Before joining the Statistical Society of Australia, Tim spent a decade leading communications for the Australian Data Science Network (ADSN), the QUT Centre for Data Science, and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS).

In these roles, he specialised in empowering researchers to share their work effectively, fostering deeper connections between their discoveries and the wider community. Originally from the United States, Tim enjoyed a distinguished 25+ year career in television news, working across three states. For more than 15 years, he served as Executive News Producer at a leading TV station in Phoenix, Arizona, where he managed the evening newscasts in one of the nation’s fastest-growing markets.

Cancellation Policy:

Occasionally courses 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.