Our Team

Managing Director / Specialist in Research Architecture

Carlos’s background is in study design, survey and experimental design, M&E and mixed methods approaches for research. Before setting up Stats4SD in May 2016, he worked for over 20 years at the University of Reading. Carlos specialises in the design of research projects. He helps researchers convert an idea into a coherent plan of activities that will answer their questions effectively and efficiently. He also provides support to ensure delivery of project outputs and good communication of results. Carlos is an experienced trainer with a keen interest in communicating complex ideas in ways that people understand. He has extensive experience in designing and running training courses in the UK, Africa and Latin America. Carlos is interested in the synergies between participatory approaches to research activities and statistical principles.

Senior Statistician

Jane joined the Stats4SD team part-time in September 2018, and also works for the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya where she has been leading their Research Methods Group since 2009. For the past 20 years, Jane has supported multi-disciplinary research and development projects across a wide range of topics and speciality areas, including trees (forestry and agroforestry), plants (entomology and pathology), animals (breeding, feeding, health) and humans (socio-economics, gender equity, impact assessment and monitoring and evaluation). Her main interest is in embedding key research methods, from design, sampling and design of data collection tools through to analysis and presentation, into the project life-cycle to improve their quality and effectiveness. Jane has conducted capacity development activities to individuals and groups across Africa and Asia and also has significant experience and interest in research ethics, aspects such as participant prior informed consent, risks and benefits and data confidentiality.

Director / Specialist In Research Methods

For many years Ric headed the Research Methods Group of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya. He continues to have a part-time position with ICRAF while working part-time with Stats4SD. Ric’s expertise is in applying good statistical practice over the full research cycle: from conception and problem definition to data analysis and reporting. His aim is to improve the quality and effectiveness of research for development through the application of statistical principles and ideas. He is particularly interested in research design, including the design of complex integrative research projects. Ric is involved in training many groups in all these areas, particularly in East and Southern Africa.

Professor of Applied Statistics

Roger is an Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at the University of Reading. He is a founding member of Stats4SD, and since his retirement, remains a part of the team. His main interests are climatic statistics and improving the teaching of statistics at undergraduate and post-graduate level. Roger works part-time with Stats4SD, where he leads our work with national and international meteorological services. He has been a driving force in establishing partnerships with organisations with whom we share objectives and values including the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute (S3RI) of the University of Southampton, the African Maths Initiative (AMI) in Kenya and the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences Tanzania (AIMS). He also works on our eLearning portfolio. Roger has previously worked for the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka; the Institute of Agricultural Research, Zaria, Nigeria; and the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Niamey, Niger.

Director / Specialist in Monitoring and Evaluation of International Aid Initiatives

Andrew trained in both applied statistics and natural resource management and has been working for over 20 years as a statistician, researcher and development professional. He has experience in poverty and food security analysis, the design and implementation of multi-topic household surveys and sampling strategies, M&E of international development projects, impact assessment and agroforestry and forestry biometrics. Andrew has experience at international, national and community levels in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He works in post-conflict and post-disaster contexts where data collection poses particular difficulties due to lack of communications and infrastructure.

Statistician

Sam has been part of SSD since its inception in 2016. Given the importance and frequent misinterpretation of statistics, he is keen to ensure that results are presented in a clear and understandable manner, particularly through the use of graphics and maps. He does most of his analysis using the software packages R and QGIS. He is also an experienced user of various other packages such as SAS, SPSS, Minitab, Genstat, Stata and CSPro. Before moving to SSD, Sam worked for the SSC at the University of Reading, providing consultancy and data analysis for projects in a wide range of fields. He was involved with M&E of several development projects funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and an agricultural research programme in Southern and Eastern Africa funded by the McKnight Foundation. He also took part in a variety of training courses targeted at audiences ranging from complete beginners to qualified statisticians.

Research Methods Assistant

Nuru is a mathematician and research methods specialist who joined the team in August 2015 after completing her masters at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). Based at the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, Nuru provides research methods support to agricultural projects funded by The McKnight Foundation in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. She advises on research design, data analysis and interpretation of results. Nuru is keen to see the quality of research in Africa improve. She also wants to make sure that the knowledge built up by researchers feeds into development. She believes that mathematics and statistics are key to these processes.

Data Engineer

Dave joined our team in 2012. His main areas of expertise are data engineering, eLearning development, multimedia production and digital data collection technologies. Dave provides solutions to the data and IT challenges that we face when supporting our clients and partners. He is at the forefront of Stats4SD’s work to produce innovative solutions tailored to the needs of different clients using data collected through apps on mobile devices. This includes closing data loops so that users can see results as the data is collected. Dave is also responsible for the development of our eLearning portfolio and is heavily involved in the development of Open Educational Resources for a number of international projects.

Statistician

Alex joined our team in 2014. He is an engineer with more than 20 years of experience teaching statistics and conducting research at Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona Tech. He has worked on projects in a wide range of fields including engineering, business and industry, medicine, epidemiology, quality control, sports and linguistics.

Research Methods Assistant

Shiphar is a research methods specialist for Stats4SD based in Uganda. She provides support to projects funded by The McKnight Foundation in Eastern Africa on study design, data management and analysis as well as report writing. Shiphar’s aims are to make research for development more effective through improved methods and training programmes for scientists and students. Shiphar has a degree in Agriculture from Makerere University in Uganda and an MSc in Research Methodology from Jomo Kenyatta University in Kenya. She has previous work experience with the Uganda National Agricultural Research Organization and the International Potato Centre, known by its Spanish acronym CIP.

Graphic and Instructional Designer

Emily joined Stats4SD in 2018 to help develop an e-learning course, and has since been involved in creating educational multimedia resources for a variety of projects as well as providing graphic design support for the team. Emily has a degree in Illustration, and worked as a tutor before coming to Stats4SD. She is interested in combining these skills to produce learning materials that are attractive, accessible and easy to understand. In her role here, she has enjoyed collaborating with subject matter experts to translate their valuable knowledge into practical, engaging resources. Outside of Stats4SD, Emily works as an artist and is passionate about illustration, portraiture and printmaking.

Communications Officer

Tina joined our team in October 2017 and takes care of our social media and communications. Responsible for the social strategy and content across all platforms, as well our blog, Tina has a passion for communicating project initiatives in the development sector. She is especially keen on making data accessible and conveying the length and breadth of work undertaken at Stats4SD. In addition, Tina works as an abstract artist inspired by both colour and narrative. She creates intensely vibrant paintings and conceptual art work, namely around autism advocacy.

Data Engineer

Ciara joined Stats4SD in October 2019 as a Statistics Intern. She has a BSc in Actuarial Mathematics and internship experience in data analytics. During her time at Dublin City University, Ciara was involved with a non-profit health and sustainable development organisation; coordinating volunteer programmes in Honduras, alongside her studies. Ciara looks forward to combining her passions for development, data and mathematics at Stats4SD

Statistician

Alex joined the team as a Statistics Intern in October 2019 following the completion of his Undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Population and Geography, and Social Research Methods at the University of Southampton. With a background in demographic and social science research, especially family demography - Alex hopes to extend both his skillset and knowledge base of issues affecting the developing world and building upon an undergraduate trip to Ghana. With experience in STATA and SPSS, Alex hopes to develop his skills in R, survey design and management while at Stats4SD.

Full Stack Web Developer

Dan joined our team in July 2021 as a Full Stack Web Developer. He is keen to create user friendly and interactive web applications. Dan intends to use his time at Stats4SD to make contributions to society, especially in the area of sustainable development. He loves photography and enjoys appreciating the masterpieces of other photographers. How people view the world from their perspective is what draws Dan to this fascinating subject.

Social and Qualitative Research Methods Specialist

Romina joined Stats4SD in 2022 as a Social and Qualitative Research Methods Specialist. She supports the RMS Agroecology project, CCAFS research on the transition to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and various sustainable development research projects, including qualitative data analysis, report writing and peer-reviewed publications. Her aims are to contribute to making sustainable development research effective in improving practices to empower communities. Romina has a PhD in Education for Sustainable Development, a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational and Social Research from the UCL Institute of Education in London and an MA in Development Studies from TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) in India. She has previous research, work and volunteering experience in sustainable development initiatives in India and Jamaica.

Social Media Marketing Intern

Grace joined the Stats4SD team in 2022, working on our YouTube channel to improve the accessibility and features of our videos and to broaden our content to a wider audience. Additionally, they provide writing and online engagement support across the team. Grace is currently studying English Literature at the University of Reading, and in their free time is an avid writer of fantasy and horror stories.

Research Methods Consultant

Joris trained as an agronomist, but has since moved to focus on research strategy and statistics. He likes to make the bridge between the subject of research and statistics, searching for practical and pragmatic solutions. He started his career many years ago with several research projects, mostly based somewhere in Africa. Since then, he has returned to his home country Belgium, where he works as a statistician in a wide range of environments - from small start-ups to large corporate firms and government agencies. Joris joined Stats4SD recently as a part-time consultant, working as part of the Research Methods Support team in West Africa. Joris also works for his own statistics consultancy Highwoods, where he supplies services to companies, research institutes and government agencies, particularly in the areas of agriculture, biotechnology and environmental sciences.

Business Administrator

Shannon joined Stats4SD in November 2018 and works across the whole team in supporting and managing administrative tasks such as invoicing and expenses. She is also a third-year student at Reading University studying History and International Relations. The role has enabled Shannon to develop her administrative skills and apply them to a business and finance-based role.