Special Sessions Speakers | SSC Student Conference

Career Session Speakers

Are you wondering what to do with your statistics or biostatistics degree? Perhaps you're not sure whether you want to start working now or begin a graduate program. In order to help students identify interesting career options, we invited successful statisticians representing different areas and applications of statistics. They will deliver presentations about their fields of work, what education you will need to follow a similar career path, and how to get involved in their disciplines.

 

Patrick Brown, PHD

Patrick E. Brown is a Scientist in the Division of Analytics and Informatics of Cancer Care Ontario, and Associate Professor in Division of Biostatistics at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.  His research focuses on models and inference methodologies for spatio-temporal data, motivated by problems in spatial epidemiology and public health.  Particular projects involve Bayesian inference for non-Gaussian spatial data, use of Markov Random Fields for approximating continuous spatial processes, and non-parameteric methods for spatially aggregated and censored disease incidence data.  More applied statistical research has included using spatial data on cancer incidence to investigate possible elevated cancer risk near industrial sites, and creating and maintaining R packages for modelling spatial data.  His collaborative work involves both clinical research and problems in public health.  Activities in the SSC have included 6 years as treasurer to the Biostatistics section, and being local organizer of the 2014 SSC conference.

 

Talia Beech

 

Talia Beech is a defence scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada’s (DRDC) currently working for the Centre for Operational Research (CORA), she is assigned to the Canadian Forces Maritime Warfare Centre in Halifax, N.S. Talia’s responsibilities are to provide evidence-based decision support to senior decision makers in the Canadian Armed Forces through the use of physics or mathematical analysis, statistics and modeling of Naval and Air operations and in Force Development. This enables decision makers through helping them understand key factors and risks, and the selection of the best courses of action. Prior to joining DRDC CORA in 2007, Talia worked at the University of Florida as a senior biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, where she provided statistical support for the preservation of indigenous state wildlife. Talia graduated from Dalhousie University with a Combined Honors degree in Statistics and Marine Biology and a MSc in Statistics in 2006.

 

Matthew Richard

 

Matt has worked as a Statistician within the industrial setting for over 10 years. After finishing his studies in ecology at Dalhousie in 2003, he decided to pursue another degree in statistics. Matthew finished his degree during a study abroad program at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, after which, he started an internship at the Vancouver Women and Children's Hospital working as a statistical interpreter for non-mathematical physicians. Following his time in Vancouver, Matt worked as a lead statistician in a mental health research department in Portland, Maine for 4 years. It was here that he learned the art of juggling the pros and cons of qualitative vs quantitative data through subjective data structuring techniques. In 2011, Matt started working in his hometown, Halifax, as a lead statistician for a medical research company which focusing on unraveling the innate complexities found within clinical trial data sets. Matt's research interests include structural equation modeling, machine learning, statistical coded simulations, practical visualizations and bridging the gap between data and understanding.

 

 

Resumé and interview skills workshop

Lealand Morin, PHD

Lealand Morin is a Senior Statistician at Capital One, where he develops statistical models for credit risk and customer acquisitions. Prior to joining Capital One, he was studying toward his Ph.D. in econometrics at Queen’s University, specializing in time series econometrics. While at Queen’s, he lectured on econometrics, time series analysis and financial economics.
 

 

Senior students and recent graduates Q&A panel

Sean Jewell

Sean is currently a second year master's student in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia. He completed his B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics at McMaster University, where his interests were focused on mathematical finance. Prior to beginning his master's, Sean worked in equity derivatives in New York and Toronto.

 

Mireille Schnitzer, PHD

Mireille Schnitzer is an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics in the Faculty of Pharmacy of Université de Montréal. She was previously a postdoc at Harvard School of Public Health and received her PhD in Biostatistics from McGill University in 2012. Her research interest include causal inference, semiparametric estimation, Targeted minimum loss-based estimation, and network meta-analysis. Her substantive interests include electronic medical databases, treatment effectiveness during pregnancy, and HIV treatment. Mireille's research is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche québecois, Santé (FRQS).

 

Nathaniel T. Stevens, PHD

Nathaniel Stevens recently graduated with a PhD in Statistics from the University of Waterloo. He also holds BMATH and MMATH degrees in Statistics from the same institution. His research interests involve the development and application of statistical methodology to the improvement of quality in healthcare and industrial settings. In the Fall of 2015 Nathaniel will be beginning a tenure-track appointment as an Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of San Francisco.

 

Basil Singer, PHD, ASA

Basil completed both his MMath (2008-2009) and PhD (2009-2013) degrees in actuarial science at University of Waterloo. He has been working in the insurance industry at TD Insurance, downtown Toronto, since December 2013. His current role is a manager in Model Control Group, where he works closely with the company's departments documenting both the practical and technical aspects of their quantitative actuarial models, as well as facilitating communication between them and other key departments, namely, Risk Management and Model Validation Management. Basil received his ASA designation last September and is currently pursuing CERA and FSA designations.

 

Thuva Vanniyasingam

Thuva began her academic journey as a Mathematics and Statistics co-op student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. While learning the foundations needed to thrive in her graduate studies, she also gained work experience for a year as a methodologist at Statistics Canada.  During this time, she evaluated the performance of imputation methods for T2 tax data in the Business Division and assessed the compilation of the National Population Health Survey data in the Health Services Division. At this time, she realized that she was passionate about statistics and health research. She continued on to pursue a Master’s degree in Statistics and is now a PhD candidate in McMaster's Health Research Methodology program.  Here she is able to gain the skills needed to work not only with other statisticians, but also epidemiologists, and clinicians.  During her spare time, she is a statistical consultant for residents at McMaster's medical school.  Her PhD focuses on investigation of methods for the design and analysis of discrete choice experiments for elicitation of preferences.  She also models pharmacokinetic data to determine optimal sampling strategies and time points for prophylactic management of patients with hemophilia.  Since starting her graduate work, Thuva has co-authored five manuscripts and given 19 presentations at national and international meetings—with 15 as a presenter or leading author. For the remainder of her PhD, she hopes to gain as much exposure into the various study designs in health research to conduct not only her own research but also to provide statistical support for others. 

 

 

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