On behalf of both the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics (ISCB) and the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA), the organising committee invites you to the 2018 Joint International Society for Clinical Biostatistics and Australian Statistical Conference, which will take place in Melbourne from the 26-30 of August 2018.

The aim of this conference is to bring together a broad range of statistical researchers across a variety of research areas to facilitate the international exchange of theory, methods and applications.

This, the 24th Australian Statistical Conference (ASC) and the 39th conference of the ISCB, promises to be a fascinating meeting as Big Data becomes commonplace, personalized medicine becomes palpable with rapidly advancing “omics” technologies, census-taking faces unprecedented pressures, environmental concerns place ecological research under increasing strain, and online social interaction becomes the norm. Have statistical methods kept pace with societal change?

The biennial ASC is a valuable opportunity for statisticians across Australia to meet, hear the latest research developments, and form collaborations across a range of research areas. By combining the conference with the ISCB’s annual conference, participants will also benefit from an international and cross-disciplinary engagement. This joint conference is a particularly exciting venture for the ISCB as this is the first time that the society’s conference will be held outside of the Northern hemisphere. By bringing the ISCB conference to the Australasian region, we aim to attract biostatisticians working across the Asia-Pacific region to this important biostatistical conference, and provide an opportunity to hear from and interact with international experts in this field. We already have a number of invited speakers confirmed for the event, including Chris Holmes, Louise Ryan, Susan Murphy and Thomas Lumley.

The conference will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, situated alongside the Yarra River in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. The conference will make the most of all that the vibrant city of Melbourne has to offer, from the secret laneways and rooftops, to the cultural hub of Federation Square. Not to mention the award-winning food and coffee. The conference will have a distinctly Australian flavour, with excursions incorporating iconic Australian experiences such as native wildlife encounters, the Yarra Valley winery region, café culture walks and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

ISCB ASC 2018 promises to be a truly Melburnian experience not to be missed!