The ASA’s Committee on Career Development (CCD) hosted a free professional development event, “Promoting Your Networking Potential: A Virtual Networking Session,” August 5. The event featured statisticians and data scientists from academia, principal federal statistical agencies, and the private sector providing expert perspectives on how to build professional relationships and a network.

Featured statisticians included Xiao-Li Meng, Whipple V.N. Jones Professor of Statistics at Harvard University; Patricia S. Hu, director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics; and Jeri Mulrow, vice president, statistics and evaluation sciences director, at Westat. More than 250 statisticians from around the world attended the event, which also featured more than 20 volunteer statisticians and data scientists. These volunteers served as mentors to facilitate small-group discussions with students and early-career statisticians in breakout sessions.

“The ASA CCD has hosted this successful event for several years,” said ASA CCD Chair Claire Bowen. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for statisticians and data scientists at every career stage to interact with colleagues.”

During the event, each panelist offered remarks about how to build positive professional relationships during graduate school to help find a job. The discussion continued by addressing how statisticians and data scientists can apply these same relationships to developing effective collaborations to advance one’s career. As documented in the ASA’s survey of master’s graduates, it is critical for statisticians and data scientists to maintain such professional relationships.

“The panel discussions were excellent, and an important part of the event were the breakout sessions, where statisticians got to socialize in small groups and discuss ideas mentioned in the main sessions,” commented ASA Vice Chair Elizabeth Mannshardt.

The ASA CCD is planning to host another free virtual networking event before JSM 2022 and will publicize details in the coming months.

Learn more about the Committee on Career Development and future offerings.