Free statistical consultancy for PhD students

Are you a PhD student wrestling with statistical analysis? We understand the struggle and may be able to help guide you. This August and September 2024, we are offering ten free 45-minute Zoom consultancy sessions exclusively for PhD students.

Eligibility and Conditions:

• Slots are allocated based on a combination of first-come, first-served and how closely your problem aligns with our areas of expertise. We also strive to include participants from different countries to promote global diversity.
• To give as many people as possible a chance to receive free consultancy, slots are not available to PhD students who already have access to our 1-hour consultancy as part of a statistics course with us.
• Ensure your questions fall within our areas of expertise (see books, papers and consultancy).
• Familiarise yourself with the points listed under 'Optimising your session' below.
• Whilst this is not a marketing endeavor, we may reference our relevant publications if your query aligns. Please note, we do not distribute PDFs or R code.
• If our advice contributes to a published paper, an acknowledgment of Highland Statistics would be appreciated.
• Sessions are conducted in English, with potential support in Spanish or Dutch.

 Optimising your session

• Zoom Meeting Details:
  • We will email a Zoom link.
  • You'll need to know how to share your screen on Zoom, and you'll be given co-host privileges for this purpose.
  • We will not record the meeting and request that you refrain from recording it as well.
• Permission from your supervisor
  • Please have your supervisor send us an email from an institutional or university email address, approving your participation in a free statistical consultancy session with us.
• Time Management:
  • Meetings are strictly limited to 45 minutes.
  • The meeting is non-transferable and intended for one individual only, not groups.
• Preparation:
  • The 45-minute face-to-face chat does not include any of our time for preparation.
  • Please refrain from sending R scripts or lengthy documents in advance. 
  • Explain your data clearly, using visuals or diagrams if possible.
  • Be prepared to efficiently explain your study design or field setup.
  • Review our 10-step protocol from our 2016 paper to structure your questions.
• Cancellations:
  • Cancellations result in the loss of your slot without a rescheduled meeting.
  • If you don’t attend the meeting, we’ll wait 10 minutes before closing it and will not provide a new slot.
• Legal responsability:
  • We offer advice based solely on the information you provide; we accept no legal liability for misinterpretations or incorrect advice.

Available slots

The following slots are currently available (UK time: time zone converter: https://www.timeanddate.com/)

• Friday 23 August 2024: 14.00-14.45. Brett Sweezey, University at Galveston, US.
• Friday 23 August 2024: 15.00-15.45. Ryan Pienaar, Brigham Young University, US.
• Friday 30 August 2024: 14.00-14.45. Megan O’Hara, Bangor University, UK.
• Friday 30 August 2024: 15.00-15.45. Andréa Mesquita, University of New Brunswick, Canada. 
• Friday 6 September 2024: 14.00-14.45. Quinn Carvey, University of New Brunswick, Canada. 
• Friday 6 September 2024: 15.00-15.45. Name of PhD student and institute. 
• Friday 13 September 2024: 14.00-14.45. Name of PhD student and institute.
• Friday 13 September 2024: 15.00-15.45. Name of PhD student and institute. 
• Friday 20 September 2024: 14.00-14.45. Name of PhD student and institute.
• Friday 20 September 2024: 15.00-15.45. Name of PhD student and institute. 

Names of attendees and their institutions will be posted for transparency.

If interested, email Dr Elena Ieno (bio@highstat.com) with your details, preferred date, a brief description of your need for the session, and a one-page PDF (in 12pt font) outlining your questions and data. And please have your supervisor send us an email.

Note: If slots are full, please refrain from requesting to be placed on the waiting list for future free sessions.