Jennifer Visser-Rogers, Statistician | Media & Public Engagement

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Following my stint as the Royal Statistical Society Guy Lecturer for 2014, I can now be regularly found presenting in schools, pubs and on stage. My presentations focus on statistical significance, uncertainty and chance, communicating risk, and issues surrounding correlation versus causation. I present thought-provoking and stimulating statistical concepts in a captivating, interactive and engaging way that is driven by real-world problems. I have also written numerous articles on statistical topics. You can find a list of some of these here.

I am a regular speaker for Maths Inspiration, one of the biggest maths enrichment programmes for teenagers in the UK. My involvement with Maths Inspiration has also taken me to Sydney, Melbourne, and New York, including joining the National Theatre's Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime world tour. I am also regularly invited to present at festivals and conferences with the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, Maths in Action, and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. In 2018, I was the London Mathematical Society popular lecturer and was President of the Mathematical Sciences Section of the British Science Association, giving my Presidential Address at the British Science Festival. I have been involved with the Cosmic Shambles Network, Numberphile (you can hear my COVID-19 podcast here), and I have appeared at Science Showoff (you can hear a podcast from the evening here). In March 2015, I was the keynote speaker at the National Cipher Challenge Awards Ceremony, held at Bletchley Park, and have given a number of lectures in the Faraday Lecture Theatre at The Royal Institution. I am a Royal Statistical Society Statistics Ambassador, and an expert statistician for the Science Media Centre and Sense about Science.

I have made guest appearances in a number of Stand Up Maths YouTube videos with Matt Parker. You can see one of our videos here.

I have also had the privilege of visiting the House of Commons for the Voice of the Future event in March 2013 and 2017 and Parliamentary Links Day 2014.

If you would like me to appear at your school, conference, festival or event then you can contact me here.

COVID-19

During the coronavirus pandemic, I have carried out a number of media engagements. I am also a member of the Royal Statistical Society COVID-19 Task Force. You can find a complete list of my media interactions here.

PRESS

I was interviewed by The Sun to explore the odds associated with the National Lottery following the increase from 49 to 59 numbers. The article can be found here. I also featured in an article by Newsbeat that examined the use (and sometimes abuse) of numbers and statistics in the media, which you can find here.

I am an ambassador for the BBC micro:bit, a pocket-sized computer that gets children excited about coding. The device provides an authentic experience of the interaction between hardware and software and gives children practical computer knowledge. I have teamed up with the BBC and the Office for National Statistics to promote their playground survey, a series of seven fun, cross-curricular activities that provide a practical approach to understanding the value of data and how data is used in today's world. I was interviewed on the topic of data literacy, which you can read here.

TV AND RADIO

I make regular appearances on TV and radio, talking about a whole range of statistical topics. Some of these are related to clinical trials, but also more general topics. Below are some example appearances.