Maddie White

Taking a compulsory statistics course led to Maddie discovering her interest in the subject, which eventually led to a Master of Applied Statistics.

“During my Master’s, I did a practicum and research project at the Ministry of Health. My supervisor was very supportive of me trying to make the most out of that opportunity because he knew I wanted to keep doing health research after graduating. I can draw a lot of links from what I did during my Master’s to the work I do now as a researcher.”

Real Experience

Maddie now works as an assistant research fellow at the Department of Public Health, University of Otago in Wellington. A big part of this role involves working with other researchers and community organisations to collect, analyse and report data on the outcomes of housing-related interventions.

“As a Master’s student you get real experience working through a research project from start to finish and all of the exciting (and frustrating) complexities that this involves. Without this experience, I don’t think I would have had the skills to start work as a researcher straight out of university, and I most definitely wouldn’t have had the confidence.”

Making a difference

“I love my role in the public health department; I’m surrounded by people and research groups that are passionate about the work they are doing to address public health issues. I feel I have something positive to contribute because of the knowledge and skills I developed throughout my study.”

You can find out more about this programme by visiting the Master of Applied Statistics programme page.