The
Victorian and Tasmanian Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia is hosting an engaging mentoring event for early career and student statisticians in June. In this speed-networking style event, small groups of mentees will rotate between experienced mentors to hear about diverse career pathways, ask practical questions, receive career advice, and build meaningful professional connections in statistics.
Date: Thursday 25 June 2026
Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm (AEST)
Venue: Multipurpose Room 1, Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre, 251 Faraday St, Carlton VIC 3053 Google map link
Format: In person
Fees:
- SSA Members – $5.00
- Non Members – $30.00
Catering, including a light dinner, will be provided.
Registrations close at 5 pm on Tuesday 23 June.
If you are awaiting SSA membership approval or wish to apply and register for this event as an SSA member, please contact the SSA office at contact@statsoc.org.au. The office can assist in expediting the review of your membership application.
Key Learnings from attending event:
By attending this mentoring event, early career and student statisticians will gain valuable insights into the many career pathways available in statistics and related fields. Through interactive small-group conversations with experienced mentors, participants will be able to ask practical questions, learn from real career experiences, receive tailored advice, and expand their professional networks. Attendees will leave feeling more informed, connected, and confident about their next steps in the statistical profession.
Mentors Bios:
Anna Quaglieri, Senior Bioinformatics Data Scientist, Mass Dynamics
Anna is a Senior Bioinformatics Data Scientist at Mass Dynamics. She has an academic background in Statistics, completed across the universities of Bologna, Glasgow and Melbourne. After moving to Melbourne, she joined WEHI, where she completed her Masters research in Population Genetics and a PhD in Cancer Genomics. She then worked for 1.5 years as a Data Scientist at the AI consulting company Eliiza before joining Melbourne-based startup Mass Dynamics, where she has now worked for over five years. In her current role, Anna develops workflows for the analysis of mass spectrometry data, helping life scientists transform proteomics data into knowledge.
Gebsio Roba Debele, Biostatistician and Researcher, Deakin University
Gebsio is a biostatistician and public health researcher, and a PhD candidate at Deakin University. His research focuses on generating robust, real-world data using advanced causal inference methods, with expertise in target trial emulation. Gebiso has extensive experience analysing large-scale population health datasets comprising more than 41 million individuals and over two decades of follow-up. His methodological expertise includes target trial emulation, survival analysis, longitudinal data analysis, and other advanced statistical and epidemiological modelling using R and Stata. His research spans cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and other chronic non-communicable diseases. He has contributed to high-impact publications in leading international journals, including The Lancet, and has collaborated on nationally and internationally funded health research projects. In addition to his research, Gebiso has experience in teaching, supervising and mentoring emerging researchers and students. He is passionate about helping students and early-career professionals develop confidence in their analytical and research skills and navigate academic and professional career pathways. His particular interest lies in advancing the use of real-world data and real-world evidence to address the unmet health challenges of the 21st century and improve health outcomes.
Humberto Jimenez, Manager in the Digital & Technology Advisory team, BDO
Humberto is a Manager in the Digital & Technology Advisory team at BDO in Melbourne, where he focuses on Data Analytics, Data Science and AI. His work sits at the intersection of data, technology and real-world problem-solving, helping organisations use analytics and AI to uncover insights, automate processes and make better decisions. With a background in engineering and more than a decade of advisory experience, Humberto has worked across healthcare, insurance, fintech and government in Australia and internationally. His experience spans exploratory data analysis, automation, technology architecture, data strategy and scalable analytics solutions, giving him a broad perspective on how data science skills can be applied outside traditional technical roles. Humberto brings a practical perspective on how data science, analytics and AI skills can be applied in real-world business settings, and enjoys helping students and early-career professionals understand how these skills can translate across different industries and career pathways.
Jason Rennie, Data Scientist, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Jason is a Data Scientist at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. He joined the Department through the Victorian Public Service Grad program and has been working there for four years. His work focuses on solving problems related to bushfire science and management, such as assessing remote detection technology, understanding bushfire behaviour using statistics and machine learning, and improving the available bushfire data for future research.
Lizzie Silver, Senior Data Scientist, WSP Digital
Lizzie is a Senior Data Scientist at WSP, an engineering consultancy working across infrastructure, energy and environment. She leads applied AI and statistical modelling projects, including detecting abandoned mine shafts from LiDAR, simulating electric vehicle fleets, modelling asset failure risk, and optimising everything from bus depot locations to artwork storage space. Her background spans causal discovery, genetics and philosophy of science. Lizzie focuses on building rigorous, real-world models and leads a team that turns complex, ambiguous problems into production-ready solutions.
Lyle Gurrin, Professor, University of Melbourne
Lyle is Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Melbourne. He has worked as a statistician for 30 years, mostly in health and medical research, but has also spent time at the ABS in Canberra and as a financial risk manager for NAB and BHP. Lyle worked for five years at King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Perth (his hometown) in the late 1990’s researching the developmental origins of health and disease (DoHaD). Since then, he has spent many years as an investigator on population cohort studies in immunology and genetic epidemiology targeting common chronic conditions in both child and adult life. Recently, Lyle has been working with colleagues at Monash University to develop statistical methods that can be used to assess the trustworthiness of data in peer-reviewed publications of randomised clinical trials. That is, interrogating summary statistics and trial information for tell-tale signs of falsification, fabrication, and outright fraud. Lyle teaches statistics to students in the Master of Biostatistics on campus and in the Master of Public Health through Melbourne Online.
Stella Stylianou, Associate Professor, RMIT University
Stella is an Associate Professor of Statistics and Deputy Head of Department (Learning and Teaching) at RMIT University, with internationally recognised expertise in biostatistics, statistical modelling, experimental design, and machine learning. She has built a strong research career, publishing more than 60 research outputs and leading numerous successful competitive research grants through interdisciplinary collaborations. An accomplished researcher and experienced PhD supervisor, she is passionate about mentoring emerging academics and helping them develop the skills, confidence, networks, and research profile needed for a successful and impactful academic career. Through her collaborative and supportive approach, she empowers early-career researchers to identify opportunities, overcome challenges, and achieve their professional goals.
Teresa Dickinson, Deputy Australian Statistician
Teresa has worked as a statistician and organisational leader in a number of settings and has specialised in the field of official statistics for the last 25 years. During that time she has held senior positions as Deputy Government Statistician in Australia and New Zealand, leading delivery of Censuses in both countries and holding responsibility for statistical methodology and data governance. Since she retired from full time employment in late 2024 Teresa works within Australia and the Asia-Pacific region supporting national statistical offices improve their leadership and governance. She is currently Secretary of the Statistical Society of Australia and is passionate about growing future statistical leaders.
Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations received prior to two weeks before the event will be refunded, minus the Stripe processing fee (1.75% + $0.30 per transaction) and an SSA administration fee of $20.
From then on, no part of the registration fee will be refunded. However, registrations are transferable within the same organisation. Please advise any changes to events@statsoc.org.au.
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