Vanessa Cave came to Otago planning to study Biochemistry. She took a couple of Mathematics and statistics papers in her first year, and was hooked! She graduated in 2002 with a BSc Honours in Statistics.
“I really enjoyed the Statistics because it has good links with application to the real world, and also quite complex mathematical theory. I liked the multidisciplinary nature of it too, solving problems in all sorts of areas “
Vanessa took a year off to travel in Europe after graduating, and is now working at AgResearch mostly in Dunedin, with occasional secondments to Hamilton, as a Statistical Consultant. She's been there for a year and a half, and again it's the real world applications, and the different fields of work that she's enjoying.
“I'm working closely with scientists helping to design experiments, analysing the data and then interpreting, and explaining, the results and statistical methods“
Vanessa finds that her studies at Otago have been invaluable. As well as the basic statistical techniques she learned, she says studying Statistics at Otago has taught her how to approach problems, how to think about them from different angles in order to arrive at a way of solving them. “It taught me how to learn new things.”
In October this year Vanessa is off to Europe again, to do a PhD in Statistical Ecology at Cambridge University. “AgResearch is very supportive of my further study, and hopefully when I've completed my PhD I'll be able to come back and work for them again!”