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Welcome to this edition of SSA eNews
This week’s SSA eNews includes an update from our President, Lynne Giles on staffing changes and new team members joining the SSA office.
We share a huge thank you to our ASC 2025 sponsors and details of the pre-conference workshops at Curtin University. Catch up on World Statistics Day highlights, and help spread the word about the Henstridge–Praeger Scholarships opening 1 December 2025.
Read highlights from the Belz Lecture, explore upcoming events including Spooky Stats and the E.A. Cornish Memorial Lecture, and check out updates on ICOTS 12. Stay connected, stay inspired, and keep engaging with Australia’s vibrant statistical community! |
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Dear members,
I’m writing to let you know about some staffing changes in the SSA team.
Jodi Phillips, our Events Coordinator, has resigned effective from Thursday, 30 October. Jodi has worked with many of you to organise local events and, of course, for the last few years been the lynchpin of managing our National in-person and online events, including conferences. I am sure you will all join me in wishing her all the best in the next phase of her career.
We have brought in an experienced event manager to help support us through this transition and particularly across the conference period. We hope that this change is as minimally disruptive for our members as possible. Please continue to use events@statsoc.org.au to communicate about any event related enquiries or for support in running SSA events.
In the past couple of months, we have also had several new members join the staff team. Sonia Chan has taken over our administrative and bookkeeping support and Venu Perera is now looking after membership and communications. Sonia and Venu are settling in extremely well under Vanaja’s guidance and embracing learning more about SSA operations.
Our main contact@statsoc.org.au email address can continue to be used for general enquiries. If you would like to discuss any of the new arrangements with me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by email or phone 08 8313 0234.
Best wishes,
Lynne Giles, President |
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A Message from Jodi Phillips
Dear SSA Members,
As many of you may already know, today is my final day at the Statistical Society of Australia. After five wonderful years, I wanted to personally thank you for the privilege of working with such an enthusiastic and dedicated community.
I have had the opportunity to support countless workshops, webinars, branch events, and conferences, and I have always been impressed by the passion and generosity that define this organisation. It has been important to me that your events ran smoothly and successfully, and I hope that my support made your experiences just a little easier.
I will miss working with you, learning from you, and celebrating the successes of the Society together. The friendships I’ve made along the way are something I will truly cherish and I look forward to staying in touch well into the future.
Wishing you all continued growth and great events in the years ahead.
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Pre-Conference Workshops
Sunday, 30 November 2025 | Curtin University, Perth
Join one of three in-depth, in-person workshops offering both technical training and professional development opportunities.
Coaching for Mentoring Success
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (AWST)
Learn how to guide and empower students through effective communication and feedback.
Presenter: A/Prof Tanya P. Garcia, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA)
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Introduction to Response Adaptive Randomization
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM (AWST)
Gain hands-on skills in innovative clinical trial design, from theory to real-world application.
Presenter: A/Prof Sofia S. Villar, MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge (UK)
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Introduction to R Packages
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (AWST)
Turn your R code into a shareable package and contribute to the wider R community.
Presenter: Dr Nicholas (Nick) Tierney
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A huge thank you to our ASC 2025 sponsors! |
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We’re incredibly grateful for the generous support of our sponsors and partners, whose contributions help make the Australian Statistical Conference 2025 possible.
Their support enables us to bring together the statistics and data science community for a week of collaboration, innovation, and inspiration in Perth. |
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Webinar Recording Now Available To mark World Statistics Day (20 October), the SSA partnered with the Australian Data Science Network (ADSN) for an engaging online panel discussion on the increasingly important topic of trust in data.
The event brought together experts from government, academia, and industry to examine the practical challenges of building and maintaining confidence in data. It was a very successful collaboration, with around 100 participants joining the session live.
If you were unable to attend or would like to revisit the session, the webinar recording is now available
The discussion is also featured as a new episode of The Random Sample podcast accessible via the The Random Sample website or by searching "The Random Sample" in your preferred podcast app
Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the value of trustworthy data.
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Henstridge–Praeger Scholarships Opening 1 December 2025
Jointly awarded by the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA) and the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI), these scholarships were established through a generous philanthropic gift from Professor Cheryl Praeger AC and Dr John Henstridge to foster excellence in statistics and mathematics in Australia.
Please help us spread the word across your professional networks and encourage eligible students to apply. |
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The SSA Vic and Tas branches annual Belz Lecture brought together statisticians from across disciplines for a half day of learning, connection, and discussion. The day began with the Early Career Showcase, featuring five engaging presentations that demonstrated the breadth and impact of applied statistical work - from interim stopping rules in factorial trials and innovative approaches to adherence analysis, to climate change modelling, automated meta-analysis reporting informing malaria policy and frontline experiences with research requests in Barwon Health. Attendees then enjoyed a lively networking lunch over delicious Vietnamese food, creating opportunities for statisticians at all career stages to connect and share ideas.
The keynote address, “Laws and Orders”, delivered by Professor Thomas Lumley, provided a thought-provoking exploration of the challenges and nuances in analysing ordinal outcomes. Framing statistics as the science of uncertainty about whether “numbers go up or down”, Professor Lumley encouraged attendees to reflect deeply on what “better” really means in data analysis. He highlighted the pitfalls of common methods that fail to respect the ordered nature of ordinal data and called on statisticians to prioritise defining meaningful orderings before assessing uncertainty. His practical manifesto reminded us that getting the direction of an effect wrong is worse than getting the strength wrong - a valuable insight for all applied statisticians. The event concluded with a relaxed social gathering in a nearby outdoor venue, providing a great chance for attendees to unwind, chat across disciplines, and continue conversations from the day in a friendly setting. |
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Unlock the full potential of your AI tools with smarter prompting. In this article, Eivind Kjosbakken shares four simple yet powerful techniques to optimise your LLM prompts,cutting costs, reducing latency, and boosting performance with minimal effort. |
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Time-series models can mislead if you tune and test on the same data. In this instalment of our Secrets of Time Series Modelling series, Vlad Johnson demystifies nested cross-validation, an inner/outer loop approach that preserves temporal order, separates hyperparameter tuning from evaluation, and delivers more unbiased, robust forecasts.
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Date: 31 Oct 2025
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: |
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The SSA South Australian Branch proudly presents the E.A. Cornish Memorial Lecture, part of the National Speaker Series, featuring Professor Martin Hazelton from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago (New Zealand).
Date: 17 Nov 2025
Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Location: |
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Bayesian Structural
Equation Modelling: Methods and Applications Date: 4 Nov 2025 Time: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Location: Robert
Street Lecture Theatre, The University of Western Australia
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Communicating Statistical and Data Science Insights to Non-Technical Audiences
Date: 6 Nov 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Location: Online
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OceaniaR Hackathon 2025 Date: 23 Nov 2025 Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Location: In-person only-The Australian National University. The Sciences Teaching Building, Building Number 136, 136 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601
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ICOTS 12 – Updated website, now Live!
The Statistical Society of Australia is thrilled to share exciting updates for the 12th International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS 12), to be held in Brisbane, 12–17 July 2026 — the first time ICOTS will be hosted in Australia.
We’re excited to announce the launch of the updated ICOTS 12 website, now live with program information and submission details.
Visit : ICOTS 12 Website or scan the new QR code below:
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ICOTS 12 keynote speakers:
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Prof Mine Çetinkaya–Rundel – Duke University
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Prof Dianne Cook – Monash University
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Emeritus Prof Sir Peter Donnelly – Genomics PLC, University of Oxford
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Prof Rob Gould – UCLA
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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.
We look forward to welcoming you in Brisbane 2026 for this landmark event in statistics education!
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The 2026 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap Issues Paper is now available, outlining key priorities and challenges shaping Australia’s future research infrastructure.
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The AMSI Female Specialist Maths Scholarships (2026–27) support Year 10 female students planning to study Specialist Mathematics in Years 11 and 12.
Applications close midnight, Friday 14 November 2025. |
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Statistical Consulting Network Monthly Meet-Up
Last Friday of the month, 12-1 PM AEST. Come along with your thinking cap, maybe a problem, and some lunch! The Statistical Consulting Network invites you to their monthly meet-up, a virtual lunchtime meeting where statisticians can help each other out with challenging problems or just discuss topical issues. This virtual meeting is held on Zoom at lunchtime on the last Friday of each month, 12-1 PM (AEST). We start each meet-up with announcements, or occasionally a special topic discussion, then discuss problems that attendees have brought along with them.
We also have 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.
Zoom link
Password: 660145
Slack Workspace link |
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Your work. Your voice. Your community.
From research breakthroughs to innovative applications of data science, our members are shaping the world through statistics and we want to celebrate it!
SSA e-News is your platform to share insights, achievements, and experiences that inspire others across our community. Whether you’ve published, presented, or simply discovered something worth sharing, we’d love to hear from you.
Share your story and let’s celebrate the people behind the numbers! |
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Stay Connected – Follow SSA’s Official LinkedIn Page!
We’re excited to invite you to follow the official Statistical Society of Australia (SSA) LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/statsocaus/
By following us, you’ll gain access to:
- Regular updates on SSA events and conferences
- The latest industry news and trends
- Exclusive career opportunities and professional development resources
- Member highlights and community insights
Stay informed, connect with fellow statisticians and data professionals, and be part of the growing SSA network. Follow us today!
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The SSA Career Centre is your go-to platform for connecting statisticians and data scientists with prospective employers.
For Employers:
Advertise job openings to a highly targeted audience of statisticians and data professionals. Once registered, employers can:
- Post and manage job advertisements.
- Search for and manage prospective candidates.
- Create a detailed company profile to enhance visibility.
Advertising fees start at just $130, providing an affordable way to reach top talent.
For Job Seekers:
Boost your career with tools designed to help you stand out:
- Post your résumé anonymously for potential employers to view.
- Set up personalised job alerts to be notified when roles matching your criteria are advertised.
- Take advantage of our free résumé review service to refine your profile before uploading it.
Whether you’re hiring or seeking, the SSA Career Centre makes connecting easy and efficient. Register today to get started! |
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Whether you’re looking to sponsor an event, support a conference, or explore a long-term partnership, we’re excited to work with you. Collaborate with the Statistical Society of Australia to connect with our vibrant community of statisticians and data professionals.
Reach out to events coordinator at events@statsoc.org.au to start the conversation and explore possibilities. |
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