Jake Olivier

Professor Jake Olivier is Head of Statistics within the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New South Wales. His research aligns with the Biostatistics and Ecology research group with a focus on statistical methods relevant to epidemiological, psychological and population health data. His primary application area is road safety and injury research, though he also collaborates with cancer, psychological and cardiovascular researchers.

Professor Olivier's educational background includes a PhD in Statistics from the University of Mississippi (2003), an MSc in Mathematics from the same institution (1997), and a BSc in Mathematics from Centenary College of Louisiana (1995). He is also an Accredited Statistician (AStat) with the Statistical Society of Australia.

His research interests focus on statistical challenges in quasi-experimental designs due to lack of randomization, particularly in assessing population-based interventions. He has conducted significant work on bicycle helmet legislation, gun access restrictions, and interrupted time series analysis. Professor Olivier also investigates effect sizes for epidemiological measures to complement significance testing, addressing how statistical significance is influenced by sample size.

His publication record includes 151 journal articles, 2 books, 2 book chapters, and numerous conference papers and presentations. His research has been recognized with 2 Web of Science Highly Cited Papers (one in Mathematics and one in Social Sciences).

Professor Olivier's scientific awards include:

• 2 Web of Science Highly Cited Papers (1 in Mathematics, 1 in Social Sciences)
• University of Mississippi Dissertation Fellowship
• John A. Hardin Mathematics Award from Centenary College
• Paul and Myrtle Bender Mathematics and Physical Science Scholarship from Centenary College

He currently supervises three research students: Rianti Siswi Utami (with A/Prof Pierre Lafaye de Micheaux), Mehreen Afzaal (with Dr Boris Beranger), and Kardina N.S. Ayuningtyas (with Em Prof Raphael Grzebieta and A/Prof Carlo Caponecchia). His areas of supervision include meta-analysis of summary statistics, interrupted time series methods, methods for regression to the mean, and joint modelling of longitudinal and time-to-event data.

Professor Olivier serves as Statistical Advisor for BMJ Open, Associate Editor for the Journal of Road Safety, and on the Editorial Boards of ANZ Journal of Statistics and Injury Prevention. He has held leadership positions with the NSW Branch of the Statistical Society of Australia, including Past President/VP and Treasurer, and was Chair of the Biostatistics Section.