Statistical Advisory Clinic
The project
The Statistical Advisory Clinic offers statistical advice to PhD students and Early Career Researchers across the University, provided by Statistics PhD students. This initiative supports high-quality interdisciplinary research and fosters collaboration across departments. It also helps Statistics PhD students develop skills for working in interdisciplinary teams, such as the ability to explain complex concepts to non-statisticians with clarity and empathy, and awareness of scientific problems in other fields. Statistics PhD students are paid for their time as research assistants and employed by the Department of Statistics.
Project outcomes
Statistics PhD students are paid for their time as research assistants and employed by the Department of Statistics. Each client can access one consultation session on a first-come, first-served basis. If further assistance is required, a second 30-minute session can be booked, which also covers up to three hours of preparation time. Both the consultant and the client are asked to fill a feedback form that will be used to evidence whether the clinic is achieving its goals. Should additional support be needed beyond these two sessions, the case is referred to Dr Romano, who (together with the PhD supervisor) assesses whether there is scope for a longer-term collaboration beneficial to both parties.
Enhancing interdisciplinarity
The clinic has helped Statistics PhD students develop skills for working in interdisciplinary teams, such as the ability to explain complex concepts to non-statisticians with clarity and empathy, and awareness of scientific problems in other fields. These skills are crucial for the future careers of our PhD students both within academia and in industry, as there is an ever-growing need for data experts in all disciplines. For scholars outside of the Statistics department this has proved an incredible asset as it improves the rigour of their research and offers them the opportunity to learn how to pose questions in a statistical meaningful way. The Statistical Advisory Clinic created an opportunity to bring people together with a purpose facilitating the creation of an interdisciplinary research network.