Oxford Statistician and Mathematician Professor Alison Etheridge has been appointed Chair of the Council for the Mathematical Sciences, the organisation that represents the wide breadth of the mathematical sciences in the UK. Professor Etheridge said, ‘It is a huge honour to be asked to contribute to the work of the CMS. Now, more than ever before, new types of mathematical insight are needed to drive forward scientific and industrial innovation, and the role of mathematical science in meeting the challenges posed by the global pandemic has further underlined the value of this ultimate transferable skill. In an evolving landscape, the CMS has a vital role to play in articulating to policymakers (and others) the need to strengthen and grow the people pipeline right across the Mathematical Sciences, and to embed mathematical and computational thinking in all aspects of science, policy, and innovation.’ Read the press release from the CMS for more.
What does a statistician do for the England football team?
From squad selection to modelling how footballs behave at altitude, statistician Matt Penn explains how data is helping shape the modern game, and why coaches will always matter more than the numbers.
New evidence suggests vast hidden magma systems inside Mars
Researchers from the Departments of Earth Science and Statistics have found evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep below its surface – even though the planet lacks the plate tectonics long considered essential for this kind of geological complexity. The findings open up new possibilities for how rocky planets become habitable.
Finding a needle in the genomic haystack: Targeting rare genes using statistical outliers
In statistical modelling, extreme outliers are often written off as 'noise'. But a new study by researchers from Oxford's Department of Statistics and Big Data Institute published this week in The American Journal of Human Genetics reverses that principle, using these outliers as the basis of a targeting system for locating rare, high-impact genetic mutations.