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Welcome to this edition of SSA eNews!
With ASC 2025 in Perth just around the corner, anticipation is growing! This year’s conference will not only deliver an inspiring program but also a series of in-depth workshops - now open for registration - designed to give statisticians and data professionals practical tools they can take straight into their work. If you haven’t registered yet, now is the perfect time to secure your place.
In this issue, we also celebrate the remarkable contributions of Alison Harcourt, with the naming of the Alison Harcourt Seminar Room at the University of Melbourne—a fitting tribute to her lasting impact on mathematics, statistics, and our Society.
We’re pleased to share thought-provoking articles on the creative use of graph theory in music composition and advances in Echo State Networks, with exciting opportunities such as the Jane Street Graduate Research Fellowships and our upcoming World Statistics Day webinar.
Enjoy this edition, and thank you for being an engaged part of SSA.
With ASC 2025 in Perth now only a few months away, excitement is building! This year’s conference theme “Advance, Support, Connect” captures everything that makes our community thrive. If you haven’t already registered, now is the time—don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the biggest gathering of statisticians and data scientists in Australia.
We are also calling for expressions of interest to join the Accreditation Committee. This is a fantastic way to contribute to the profession, support colleagues seeking accreditation, and help maintain the high standards that underpin AStat and GStat recognition.
And finally, a reminder about our Member Highlights section. This space is for you—share your stories, achievements, or reflections so we can showcase the breadth of work across our community. Submissions are open, and we’d love to feature more voices from every corner of SSA.
Enjoy this issue, and thank you for being an active part of SSA.
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ASC 2025 Workshops – Registration Now Open!
We are excited to announce that ASC 2025 will feature three highly engaging workshops, offering practical skills and insights for statisticians and data professionals at all career stages. Workshops will run Sunday, 30 November 2025, in Perth and are available for an additional fee.
Coaching for Mentoring Success
Presenter: A/Prof Tanya P. Garcia (UNC Chapel Hill, USA)
Develop strategies to foster student independence through active listening, open-ended questioning, and effective feedback. Take home practical tools to create mentoring experiences that truly drive success. |
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Introduction to Response Adaptive Randomization (RAR)
Presenter: A/Prof Sofia S. Villar (MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK)
Gain a hands-on introduction to RAR design and analysis, bridging theory and practice with a detailed case study of the ARREST trial. |
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Introduction to R Packages
Presenter: Dr Nicholas Tierney (Research Software Engineer & Consultant)
Learn how to transform your R code into shareable, professional packages. Explore package structure, documentation, testing, and sharing via GitHub. |
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Don’t miss the chance to add one of these valuable workshops to your ASC 2025 experience! |
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In this feature, Chinmay Kakatkar explores how graph theory can be used to compose music. Drawing on the concept of Eulerian paths, the article demonstrates how stochastically generated motifs can be assembled into melodies, mirroring the way renowned composers like John Williams and Hans Zimmer reuse musical themes. The piece offers both a conceptual overview and an end-to-end Python implementation, making it a fascinating read for statisticians, data scientists, and music enthusiasts alike. |
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This paper introduces new methods for designing Echo State Network reservoirs, showing how adapting weights and topology to input data can dramatically improve prediction accuracy. With experiments spanning chaotic systems and real-world climate data, the study highlights practical guidelines for building more reliable and efficient ESNs. |
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Recognising decades of contributions to mathematics, statistics, and SSA community
On Thursday 25 September 2025, the School of Mathematics and Statistics at The University of Melbourne hosted a naming ceremony for the Alison Harcourt Seminar Room, named after SSA Honorary Life Member Alison Harcourt (née Doig).
Alison has an AO and a number of other honours for her contributions in the mathematical sciences: firstly, for her foundational work on the “branch and bound” algorithm for integer linear programming, with Ailsa Land (published in 1960, in Econometrica, under the name Alison Doig) and secondly, for her career-long contribution to statistics and statistics education. Among other things, Alison was one of the researchers on the original Henderson Inquiry into poverty in Australia, and she also (with Malcolm Clark) identified anomalies in Senate voting practices that led to reforms in the way elections are administered in Australia. She was an excellent tertiary educator of statistics students over six decades.
Alison’s involvement with the SSA has been deep and sustained; she was the Secretary of the inaugural Council of the Victorian Branch of the SSA, when it was established in 1964, and remained committed and engaged with SSA activities for her career.
Alison was in attendance at the event, with many friends and colleagues. Professor Kate Smith-Miles spoke about Alison’s paper on “branch and bound”, Ian Gordon spoke of her contributions to statistics, and Damjan Vukcevic gave a sneak preview of the Festschrift that has been prepared in her honour, as an issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Statistics (to appear shortly).
The ceremony concluded with afternoon tea with the guest.
The Alison Harcourt Seminar Room is in the Peter Hall Building; a pairing of two great Australian statisticians and SSA members. Ian Gordan - Former SSA President
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In celebration of this year’s World Statistics Day, the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA) and the Australian Data Science Network (ADSN) invite you to an engaging online panel discussion on a topic of growing significance: trust in data. Join leading voices in statistics and data science as they unpack why trust matters, the challenges we face, and the role our community plays in building confidence in data-driven decisions.
Date: 20 October 2025
Time: 1:00 PM (AEDT)
Location: Online
Don’t miss this chance to connect with the statistical community and explore the role of reliable data in shaping decisions and society.
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Early Career and
Student Statisticians Career Event 2025
Date: 9 Oct 2025
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: In-person:
The Bevery Room, Courtyard Restaurant and Bar, University of Sydney
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A fresh approach to teaching first-year statistics: flipped classroom mode teaching paired with programming changes.
Date: 14 Oct 2025
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (AWST)
Location: In-person: Room 360.3.002 (Innovation Hub in Boola Katitjin), Murdoch University, WA
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What Does It Take to Be a Mentor? Experiences from the SSA Mentoring Program
Date: 14 Oct 2025
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM AEDT
Location: Online
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Belz Lecture and ECSS Showcase
Date: 27 Oct 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Location: In-person: Theater 1, Old Geology Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria
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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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Apply Now: Jane Street Graduate Research Fellowships
Jane Street, a leading global technology company, is now accepting applications for their Graduate Research Fellowships. Open to PhD students (with at least one year remaining) across statistics and related disciplines at Australian universities, these fellowships provide valuable support for outstanding research talent. Applications close 21 November
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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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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 Jodi Phillips at events@statsoc.org.au to start the conversation and explore possibilities. |
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