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: Don'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.
@StatSocAus
