Lindsay Morris

A combination of the University’s reputation and the School’s supportive staff saw Lindsay Morris decide to pursue a PhD in Statistics.

Lindsay points out, “After five and a half years here, I sought the opportunity to become part of the research community and contribute to this reputation."

“My PhD focuses on spatial statistics, which is considered a challenging area and it certainly pushes me to think creatively about how to solve problems. The real benefit to researching any statistical methodology is the flexibility to apply it to almost any dataset. I especially enjoy working with datasets on the atmosphere, pollution, fisheries, and health,” he explains.

Lindsay finds Wellington to be a fantastic place to live. He loves the mixture of hills, city, and sea, and says the people are welcoming, supportive, and fun. “Wellington is inclusive of a wide range of cultures, ethnicities, creeds and identities, which is important to someone being a part of the rainbow community. The staff that work in the School of Mathematics and Statistics are, in my opinion, second to none. They are supportive, inclusive, intelligent and friendly," he comments.

“I’ve been fortunate to tutor undergraduate statistics courses. I love teaching, and nothing is more satisfying than seeing a student go from struggle to success. One day, I would like to return as a lecturer but, before then, I want to be a statistical consultant. This would allow me to work with a wide variety people and interesting datasets.”

Lindsay’s expectations of a PhD were that it was going to be challenging, but also rewarding. So far, he has experienced both, but the reward has always outweighed the difficulties.