The Statistical Computing and Visualisation section of the Statistical Society of Australia proudly presents a members only webinar on Where Do R Packages Live.
Date: Wednesday 20 May
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM (AEST)
Online via Zoom: details provided upon registration
Abstract:
Where R Packages Live brings together key stewards of the R ecosystem for a behind-the-scenes look at how and where R packages are built, reviewed, distributed, and sustained. Featuring representatives from CRAN (R Core), Bioconductor, R-universe (rOpenSci), and Posit, the panel of speakers will unpack the distinct roles each platform plays — and how they collectively shape the lifecycle of an R package.
Whether you’re a developer, researcher, or data scientist, this discussion will demystify the infrastructure underpinning R’s package ecosystem and offer practical guidance on choosing the right home for your work.
Key Learnings from attending webinar
- Understand the roles and differences between CRAN, Bioconductor, R-universe, and Posit in the R ecosystem
- Learn the submission, review, and maintenance expectations across platforms
- Identify which repository or distribution pathway best suits different use cases of R packages
- Gain insight into long-term sustainability, discoverability, and governance of packages
Speaker Bios
Di Cook (she/her), R Foundation - Melbourne
Di Cook is Professor of Statistics in Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University, Melbourne. She is a member of the R Foundation Board and a past editor of the R Journal. She is a co-author of 37 R packages and the maintainer of 6 packages on CRAN. Her representation on the panel brings experience in successfully sharing with CRAN and publishing papers on the software.
Stevie Pederson (they/them), Kids Institute, Bioconductor - Adelaide
Having run the Bioinformatics Hub at the University of Adelaide from 2014-2020, Dr Stevie Pederson is now based at The Kids Research Institute Australia, leading the analysis of the transcriptomics layer for a large cohort, multiomics study addressing the high Type 2 Diabetes rates within the Australian Aboriginal community. Since commencing in 2015, their 3-day training course "RAdelaide" has become one of the largest & longest running R training events in Australia.
They are also an enthusiastic member of the Bioconductor developer community, as the maintainer of 5 Bioconductor packages and 1 CRAN package, and currently serve as Co-Chair of the Bioconductor Community Advisory Board.
Jeroen Ooms (he/him), rOpenSci, R universe - Amsterdam
Jeroen Ooms is a research software engineer focused on the R programming language and open-source tools. He currently divides his time between developing R-universe, funded via the R Consortium, and working with the Tidyverse team at Posit, where he maintains key R packages and contributes to projects including the R WebAssembly port. He earned his PhD in Statistics from UCLA in 2014 and has also worked with rOpenSci and UC Berkeley.
Jeroen is widely known for his contributions to the R ecosystem and for building infrastructure that supports reproducible, accessible, and community-driven software development.
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