Guest Speakers

Professor Claire Miller completed an Hons degree in Mathematics and Statistics and PhD in Statistics in the Department of Statistics at the University of Glasgow, and was one of the lead organisers for the RSC in Glasgow in 2006. 

Her research interests include developing spatiotemporal statistical and data analytics methodology to address questions motivated by environmental applications, including data fusion and integration, monitoring network design, and she leads the data and data analytics workstream as part of NERC GALLANT: investigating urban environmental sustainable solutions. 

Claire is President of The International Environmetrics Society, an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, an associate editor for Environmetrics and Journal of Applied Statistics: Environmental Statistics and Data Science, a member of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) Environmental Statistics section and Climate Change task force.  

Claire was the winner of The International Environmetrics Society (2018) Abdel El-Shaarawi Young Researcher (AEYR) award for outstanding contributions to environmental statistical and quantitative research, and will be awarded the RSS Barnett Award for exceptional contributions to environmental statistics, and her pioneering work in water quality measuring, monitoring and forecasting, at the RSS conference in Sept 2025.

Dr Ivona Voroneckaja is an experienced statistician who transitioned from academia to the dynamic and fast-paced world of consultancy. During her PhD in Statistics at the University of Glasgow, she developed novel Bayesian methods for hierarchical models - work that earned her the prestigious William Jack Prize for the best PhD thesis in Mathematical Sciences. Alongside her research, she lectured in Statistics, mentoring and inspiring the next generation of data professionals.

Ivona later moved into consultancy, applying statistical rigor to real-world challenges. Through her work with Hypercube Consulting and her independent practice, Ivy Data Room, she has delivered impactful, data-driven solutions across a wide range of sectors - including energy, healthcare, aquaculture, education, sport, and finance.

A dedicated contributor to the third sector, Ivona has consistently applied her expertise to social impact initiatives. Her long-standing commitment was recognised with the Specialist Volunteering Award from Inspiring Scotland, honouring her contributions to mission-driven organisations.

Her approach blends technical excellence with a strong focus on people and culture. She is a passionate advocate for psychological safety, growth mindsets, and inclusive, high-trust teams. Ivona frequently speaks on navigating career transitions, overcoming tool anxiety, and fostering resilient, diverse data cultures.

Most recently, Ivona has stepped into engineering management, where she now looks after technical teams with a focus on enabling growth, collaboration, and delivery at scale.

She was recently named runner-up for Scotland’s Young Businesswoman of the Year and co-hosts HerCube, a podcast that spotlights women driving innovation in tech and energy.

Dr Kate Pyper is a data scientist with a strong academic and applied background in statistical modelling and machine learning. She graduated with an MSci in Statistics from the University of Glasgow in 2015, before completing a PhD at the University of Strathclyde, where she used spatio-temporal models to evaluate the effectiveness of a poisons information service.

Following her PhD, Kate joined the University of Strathclyde as a lecturer, where she specialised in machine learning and spatial modelling. Alongside her academic role, she led consultancy projects for a wide range of industry and research partners, translating complex data into actionable insights.

In 2024, she brought her expertise to Public Health Scotland, delivering strategic consultancy to Health and Social Care Partnerships and GP Clusters in Ayrshire, supporting data-driven improvements in healthcare delivery. Since November 2024, Kate has been a Senior Data Scientist at Tesco IMS, where she plays a key role in advancing marketing effectiveness through sophisticated analytical approaches and impactful data science solutions.