Süßmilch Lecture - hybrid
Putting Science Before Statistics
Richard McElreath, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Online or at Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, October 21, 2025
As part of the Suessmilch Lecture series, Richard McElreath from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, will present on the topic of "Putting Science Before Statistics".
The event begins at 3 pm CET on October 21, 2025.
Abstract
Statistical algorithms have advanced rapidly in the last decades, but most researchers are still only taught how to do t-tests and worry about normality of residuals. At the heart of the reproducibility crisis lies scientific workflow, the often unprincipled and undocumented ways that scientific theories are related to statistical procedures and their results. I want to center scientific workflow in debates about open science and outline a research program for taking scientific workflow seriously.
About the Speaker
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Richard is a director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the author of the popular Bayesian statistics textbook Statistical Rethinking. A key aspect of his research involves integrating theory with data analysis and study design, and he devotes a significant portion of his time to supporting his colleagues in this area.
Participation
Please register via this survey for online participation. The Zoom link will be sent to you afterwards. The event begins at 3 pm CET on October 21, 2025.