Originally from the UK, I moved to NZ to pursue a career in law. After discovering the possibilities of statistics, my passion and career trajectory quickly moved from lawyer to statistician, and I never looked back. After completing every qualification possible in statistics, I accepted my current role in Melbourne as a postdoctoral biostatistician based at the University of Melbourne. In this role, I develop new statistical methods alongside collaborative statistical work in health and medical research.

Questions of causality, or "what if" questions, are central to public health research (e.g., "what if brain injury in childhood was prevented?"), to help us understand what action will improve patient and population health outcomes. We typically answer these questions using a randomised controlled trial, but this is not always feasible or ethical (we can't randomly assign children to have a brain injury not!).

Using observational data, such as electronic medical records, presents an appealing alternative. However, to answer these "what if" questions using observational data requires careful statistical design and sophisticated analytic methods. In my role, I develop and apply statistical methods to do exactly that, working alongside medical researchers to improve the health and wellbeing of future generations in Australia.