Sanne Willems

Sanne Willems serves as an Assistant Professor in the Methodology & Statistics department within Leiden University's Institute of Psychology. Her academic journey began with Mathematics studies at Utrecht University followed by Statistics at Leiden University, culminating in a PhD in Applied Statistics from Leiden's Mathematical Institute in 2020. In 2021, she transitioned to her current position in the Psychology faculty, where she bridges statistical methodology with psychological research on communication.

Dr. Willems' research focuses on the critical intersection of statistical communication and public understanding. She investigates how statistical uncertainties and risk information are interpreted by diverse audiences, with particular attention to the cognitive and emotional impacts of different communication formats. Her work addresses fundamental challenges in statistics communication, including the problematic interpretation of probability phrases (like 'likely' or 'rarely') which her research demonstrated vary dramatically between individuals, creating significant risks for miscommunication in medical, policy, and everyday contexts.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory toward practical applications of statistics communication research. Her articles increasingly focus on debunking misleading visualizations through the 'Grafiekpolitie' (Graph Police) initiative, examining how common graphical distortions in media and official communications affect public understanding. This work spans consumer statistics (examining misleading 'value pack' marketing), medical communication (interpreting survival probabilities), and public policy (referendum design flaws).

• Kiem grant, Leiden University (2024)
• Project Grant, Leiden University Fund / Gratama-Stichting/LUF (2023)
• YAL Outreach Grant (2022)
• LUF Lustrum Subsidy (2020)
• IOPS Best Poster Award (2019 and 2015)

Through her outreach activities, Willems has significantly expanded the societal impact of statistics communication research. As co-founder of the Statistics Communication section of the VVSOR (Netherlands Society for Statistics and Operations Research), she established both the society's statistics blog and a regular reading group on statistics communication and (in)numeracy. Her 'Grafiekpolitie' collaboration with Nieuwscheckers.nl provides regular public debunking of misleading graphs in Dutch media. She has developed teaching packages on misleading statistics and engages in national radio discussions to improve statistical literacy. Willems also coordinates the Communication Advisory Board for Statistics Netherlands and organizes events to increase diversity in mathematics, particularly targeting minority groups considering PhD studies.