Latest News ~ Career Centre - SSA Events ~ Member Contributions ~ Other Events

Welcome to this edition of SSA eNews

We are pleased to share the latest updates, opportunities, and events from the Statistical Society of Australia. This edition highlights a range of initiatives designed to support your professional development, strengthen connections across our network, and celebrate the achievements of our members.

We encourage you to actively engage with SSA by attending branch meetings, contributing to our Member Contributions section, or volunteering for one of our committees. Your involvement plays a vital role in advancing the profession and promoting the value of statistics and data science in Australia.

Early registration remains open for the Australian Statistical Conference 2025, which will be held in Perth from 1–5 December. We look forward to welcoming members and colleagues from across the country and internationally for a week of knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and professional growth.

Finally, we invite you to read this edition’s Member Highlight at the conclusion of the newsletter, which showcases the outstanding individuals contributing to the success of our community.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we hope you enjoy this edition of SSA eNews.

Many human rights communities feel skeptical about emerging technology. This caution is grounded in a commitment to leveling inequality, protecting personal privacy, and placing human thriving over technological advancement. The world has witnessed Big Tech’s capriciousness, the erosion of digital safeguards, and the weaponization of platforms against communities that advocates seek to protect.

The 2025 AMSI Year 12 Mathematics Participation Report Card, released today by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI), reveals a deepening crisis in secondary school mathematics participation across Australia, with the proportion of students studying higher and intermediate mathematics dropping to 8.4% and 16.8% respectively in 2023.

The Statistical Society of Australia expresses deep concern over the dismissal of US Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Dr Erika McEntarfer.
Independent, evidence-based statistics must be protected from political interference. The integrity of official data is vital to public trust, policy-making, and democracy itself.

Share Your Work in the Member Contributions Section

The Member Contributions section of our e-newsletter provides a valuable platform for SSA members to share their expertise, insights, and achievements with the wider Statistical Society of Australia community.

This section is designed to:

• Strengthen our community: Share your ideas and experiences to foster meaningful connections across the SSA network.
• Showcase your work: Highlight your research, articles, or professional accomplishments to inspire and inform fellow members.
• Increase your impact: Gain recognition and visibility for your work among statisticians, data scientists, and industry leaders.

All submissions are reviewed for potential inclusion in upcoming editions of the e-newsletter. Whether you wish to share recent research, publish a thought-provoking article, or announce a professional achievement, we welcome your contributions.

Congratulations to SSA member Karen Lamb, who has been named a finalist for the 2025 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Researchers.

This announcement is a well-deserved recognition of Karen's contributions to the SSA as the founder of the SSA Mentoring Program. Since starting as a pilot program in 2020 with the Biostatistics & Bioinformatics Section, over 200 members have engaged with the program mentees and mentors. Beyond the SSA, Karen has advised on mentoring programs internationally in Canada, the UK and New Zealand and advocated for diversity in statistical publications and academic promotions.

Event Recap: Reusing ‘ggplot2’ Code: How to Design Better Plot Helper Functions

The SSA Vic & Tas Branch co-organised their first event with the R Users Melbourne Network Meetup. The event started with an hour of networking over pizza and sandwiches, and then Cynthia Huang, Research Fellow at Monash University, took us through design principles for reusable ggplot2 code. We learnt that by hiding all the ggplot functionality in a wrapper, the code loses many of the benefits of ggplot and to instead create "light wrappers" where the default options to the functions can be copy-pasted to customise the code.

Join us for the Statistical Society of Australia’s 2025 Annual General Meeting - a key event to reflect on the past year’s achievements, hear important updates, and engage with a compelling guest presentation on the role of statisticians in public discourse.

Professor Baddeley will reflect on the role statisticians play in matters of public interest and controversy, drawing from his involvement in the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Project in Western Australia.

An opportunity for attendees to engage directly with Professor Baddeley during an interactive Q&A session.

All SSA members are encouraged to attend the full AGM program. Non-members are welcome to join us at 1:30 PM for the guest speaker session.

Included in this session will be the AGM of the Australian Statistical Publishing Association Inc (ASPAI), featuring the following resolution for member consideration. Following the ASPAI AGM, we will proceed with the SSA AGM.

About the Speaker:

Professor Adrian Baddeley, FAA John Curtin Distinguished Emeritus Professor, Curtin University, Perth WA

Professor Baddeley is internationally recognised for his groundbreaking work in spatial statistics and statistical image analysis. His research has shaped methodologies in diverse fields and contributed significantly to public-interest projects, including environmental monitoring and cultural heritage protection.

Program Overview:

1:00 PM – 1:05 PM | Welcome

1:05 PM – 1:30 PM | AGM Business & Announcements

1:30 PM – 1:50 PM | Guest Speaker Presentation

1:50 PM – 2:00 PM | Q&A

2:00 PM | Close

Join Us at ASC2025 – Early Bird Registrations Now Open

The Australian Statistical Conference 2025 is shaping up to be a highlight of the year, bringing together leading minds in statistics, data science, and beyond. With early bird registrations now open, there’s no better time to secure your spot and start planning your conference experience. Don’t miss your chance to connect, learn, and be inspired at one of the most anticipated events on the statistical calendar!

Visit www.asc2025.net to explore the evolving program, keynote speakers, venue details, and important dates. ASC2025 offers a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues, engage with leading research, and contribute to discussions shaping the future of statistics and data science.

We look forward to welcoming you in Perth this December — whether as a speaker, presenter, or attendee.

ASC2025 Scholarships – Applications Open for One Week Only!

SSA Branches are pleased to support students and early-career statisticians with scholarships to help attend the Australian Statistical Conference 2025 in Perth.

Applications are only open from 15–22 August, so don’t miss your chance!

Key Dates:

Applications Open: Thursday, 15 August

Applications Close: Thursday, 22 August

Outcomes Announced: Thursday, 29 August

Please note: Most scholarships require an accepted abstract, so only those who submitted by 15 June are eligible to apply.

These scholarships offer valuable support to attend one of the region’s most exciting statistical events.

We’re thrilled to announce that Associate Professor Tanya P. Garcia (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA) will be joining us at hashtag#ASC2025 this December in Perth!

Tanya is a statistician and researcher whose work focuses on developing innovative methods for handling incomplete and imperfect data in clinical trials, particularly for neurodegenerative diseases.

In her keynote, Tanya will explore how small modeling choices—like handling unknown or incomplete data—can have major consequences in clinical trials. She’ll share surprising insights on how these choices can bias results and powerful strategies to overcome them.

“Be sure to register for ASC 2025. Your future collaborators, mentors, and biggest cheerleaders might be there… you just have to show up.” – Tanya P. Garcia

The Statistical Society of Australia (SSA) invites expressions of interest from AStat-accredited members to join its Accreditation Committee.

The Society is committed to ensuring that the composition of the Accreditation Committee reflects the diversity of its membership and the broader statistical community. We are seeking individuals from a range of sectors and areas of expertise to contribute to this important work.

Members of the Accreditation Committee play a vital role in supporting the professional development of SSA members by assessing applications for accreditation and promoting the value of professional recognition in statistics and data science.

Key Details:

• The committee meets approximately every six weeks via Zoom.
• Meetings are typically one hour in duration.
• Preparation time ranges from one to three hours, depending on the number of applications under review.
• Committee members are appointed for a three-year term, with staggered rotation to ensure continuity.

If you are interested in contributing to the work of the Accreditation Committee, please send an expression of interest along with your resume to contact@statsoc.org.au

We welcome your interest and thank you for considering this opportunity to support your professional community.

Joint SSA WA & IBS-AR Meeting: Failing to Connect The Dots: The strange history of statistical methods for point patterns (Adrian Baddeley)

Date: 12 Aug 2025

Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (AWST)

Location: Blakers Lecture Theatre, The University of Western Australia

CPD 210: Packaging and Sharing Your Code

Date: 22 Aug 2025

Time: 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Location: Online

Introduction to Distributional Regression

Date: 10 Sep 2025

Time: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Location: In-person: CSIRO Waterhouse Theatre, Building 101, Clunies Ross St, Black Mountain ACT 2601

CPD 209 – Statistical Communication Workshop

Date: 1 Oct 2025 – 8 Oct 2025

Time: 2 hours a week

Location: Online

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 

Submit a Paper for ICOTS 12 — Brisbane, 12–17 July 2026

The 12th International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS 12) will be held for the first time in Australia, right in the heart of Brisbane from 12–17 July 2026. SSA members are strongly encouraged to propose a paper to feature in one of the ICOTS 12 Main Topics.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the global conversation on statistics education, spanning research, practice, and innovation in teaching and learning.

Important Dates

Due date for Main Topic paper proposals: 31 July 2025

Notification of outcome: 30 September 2025

Due date for contributed and other paper proposals desiring refereeing: 31 August 2025

Acceptance by: 30 September 2025

An optional refereeing process is available for all accepted papers. Refereed papers will be published in the official ICOTS 12 Proceedings.

Due date for papers requesting refereeing: 30 November 2025

Referee reports returned by: 31 January 2026

Additional due date for contributed papers not desiring refereeing: 31 January 2026

Final papers for Proceedings due: 30 April 2026

Visit the ICOTS 12 website to explore the Main Topics (under Scientific Programme) and access submission guidelines.

Whether you’re focused on research, practice, or pedagogy, we invite you to share your work and help shape the future of statistics education.

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

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!

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!

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.