R for the Rest of Us

• R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode #26: Nick Tierney

  In this episode, I chat with Nick Tierney, a statistician, data scientist, and creator of the {naniar} R package for exploring missing data. Nick reflects on his journey from a psychology undergrad to a PhD in statistics, and how open-source tools—and a deeply curious mindset—shaped his path.We discuss Nick’s early struggles with R, the importance of community, and his evolution into package development and consulting. He also walks through the why and how of testing R packages, making the case for better, more reliable code.Resources mentioned:{naniar} packageBooks: (1) The R Book by Michael Crawley, and (2) R Packages by Hadley Wickham and Jenny BryanConnect with Garrick on Bluesky and GitHub

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• R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode #27: Garrick Aden-Buie

  In this episode I sit down with Garrick Aden-Buie, a senior software engineer at Posit (formerly RStudio), to explore his latest project: brand.yml. This innovative tool aims to simplify and unify branding across various data science outputs, including Quarto documents, Shiny apps, and more.Garrick shares the inspiration behind brand.yml, stemming from his experiences in creating custom theming solutions at different organizations. Recognizing the repetitive nature of this task, he developed brand.yml to serve as a single source of truth for styling, enabling consistent application of brand guidelines across multiple platforms.Important resources mentioned:brand.yml project pageGitHub repoBSLib article on unified themingBlog post ‘Unified branding across Posit tools with brand.yml’ by Sarah AltmanConnect with Garrick on LinkedIn, Bluesky and Mastodon. Visit his Website to learn more.Subscribe to our newsletter: https://rfortherestofus.com/newsletter

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• R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode #25: Robert Smith

  In this episode, I sit down with Robert Smith, co-founder of Dark Peak Analytics, to discuss his journey from academia to advising the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rob shares his experience building data models that directly influenced public health policy and decision-making at the highest levels. We also dive into his work with Parkrun, a community-driven initiative promoting equitable access to physical activity, and how he used R to analyze participation patterns and improve accessibility.Rob's insights into health economics, simulation modeling, and the challenges of transitioning industries provide valuable lessons for data professionals.Important resources mentioned:Dark Peak AnalyticsAcademic Papers:https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/5-9https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350620304066https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829221001222https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-024-20420-0https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/19004143v1.full.pdfMap: https://iolmap.shinyapps.io/parkrun/ParkrunConnect with Robert on:LinkedIn: Robert Smith Subscribe to our newsletter: https://rfortherestofus.com/newsletter

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• R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode #24: Simon Couch

   In this episode, I chat with Simon Couch, a software engineer at Posit, about his work on AI-powered R packages. Simon maintains open-source statistical software and explores how AI can streamline coding workflows. We discuss his journey from statistics and sociology to AI-driven tooling, his development of the PAL and Gander packages, and why AI won’t replace coding anytime soon—but can definitely make it easier. Improtant resources mentioned:Simon’s blogTidyverse blog post on PAL & GanderConnect with Simon on:  LinkedIn: Simon P. CouchBluesky: @simonpcouch.comMastodon: @[email protected]: @simonpcouch‬Subscribe to our newsletter: https://rfortherestofus.com/newsletter

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• R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode #23: Terence Teo

  In this episode, I chat with Terence Teo, Professor at Seton Hall University and expert in creating stunning 3D maps using the {rayshader} package in R. Terence discusses his journey into data visualization, specifically his use of R and the RayShader package to create mesmerizing 3D maps. Terence shares insights from his academic background in political science, his creative process for making maps, and how he balances artistic flair with technical rigor. The discussion dives into geospatial data, the intricacies of the {rayshader} and {rayrender} packages, and the value of experimentation in visual storytelling.Important resources mentioned:River Basins of the Iberian Peninsula: https://bsky.app/profile/tterence.bsky.social/post/3kdbsv4bbc32kGitHub repo of code usedConnect with Terence on:  X: @researchremoraBluesky: @tterence.bsky.social‬Subscribe to our newsletter: https://rfortherestofus.com/newsletter

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