Introducing Our Newest Members: Spotlight on Chris Burger

This month, we welcome Chris Burger, who answered the following questions so we could get to know him better:

How did you become interested in statistics and/or data science?

Early in my undergraduate program, I was in a physics class where we discussed the idea of uncertainty in experimental measurements. I found thinking about the uncertainty in our experiments more interesting than the experiments themselves and was hooked from then on. I took every statistics class I could find and ended up changing my major and continuing into graduate school.

What do you consider your dream job?

I have been drawn toward something like being a consulting statistician for academic research. I like working with researchers from all kinds of disparate fields and seeing all the interesting things they get up to while being able to meaningfully contribute to all this very different research through discussions on things like experimental design or data analysis.

What do you hope understanding statistics and/or data science helps you accomplish?

Helping others make their work more productive and impactful. A good understanding of statistics can help us provide the advice needed to guide others in performing reliable, repeatable research in addition to saving them valuable time and money.

Is there a particular group of statisticians you would like to reach out to you (e.g., from a section, interest group, chapter, committee)?

I would love to hear from people who manage to do a lot of cross-disciplinary work and use their statistical expertise to assist those in research or industry.

What is your favorite hobby?

Birdwatching, followed closely by weightlifting.

What is something you would like people to know about you that we haven’t asked?

My favorite bird is the brown pelican.

Welcome to Our Newest Members