Driving Change: The Maths Behind Autonomous Vehicles - with Prof Michael Milford
A few short years ago, it was one of the most hyped technology fields around. But after all that excitement, where are we now with autonomous vehicles — or driverless cars? In this episode, we go under the hood to explore how AVs gather and use data, and the complex mathematics that helps them navigate a messy, unpredictable world. What are the challenges still standing in the way? And how close are we, really, to letting go of the wheel? Our guest is Professor Michael Milford, Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics – and someone who’s been working on this problem for much of his career. Our host is Dr James Nichols. Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/autonomous-vehicles/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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59:32
Designing the Tools that Shape Data Science - with Dr Hadley Wickham
We’re diving into the design and development of the tools that have transformed data science and statistical programming — with none other than Dr Hadley Wickham. Hadley is the Chief Scientist at Posit (formerly RStudio), where he leads the Tidyverse team. This team is behind some of the most widely used open-source packages in the R programming language — including dplyr and ggplot2. These tools have empowered thousands of data scientists and researchers to explore complex datasets and communicate insights through compelling visualisations. In this episode, Hadley shares key lessons he’s learnt from over two decades of building and maintaining open-source software. We also look ahead, as he discusses where he sees data science tooling headed — and the principles that will shape its future. Our host is Cynthia Huang. Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/hadley-wickham/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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47:44
From Silo to Solution: Unlocking climate & social data that can drive change
Researchers and decision-makers face a familiar challenge: data exists, but it’s often locked away. Once research is published, the underlying data and analysis frequently vanish into private repositories—accessible only through time-consuming permissions or technical expertise. For those working on urgent issues like climate change and public health, these data silos slow progress and limit impact. In this episode, we look at AusEnHealth, a project aiming to change that. As Australia’s first national digital environmental health decision support platform, AusEnHealth is being designed to bring together fragmented datasets and make them easier to access, explore, and use. The goal is to offer interactive visualisations and built-in analytics that deliver rapid insights—even for those without the time, tools, or training to process complex data on their own. Our guest for this episode is Dr Aiden Price, a Senior Research Fellow with the QUT Centre for Data Science and one of the lead researchers in this project. Our host is Tanya Dodgen, a PhD Candidate at QUT. Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/ausenhealth/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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39:04
Beyond ChatGPT: The Rapidly Evolving Landscape of AI - with Professor Simon Angus
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s here, embedded in almost every technology we use. It’s one of the most transformative forces of our time, and in this episode, we’re unpacking what that means, focusing on the powerful engines behind it: large language models, or LLM’s. A year and a half ago, The Random Sample did an episode exploring the science behind ChatGPT and its groundbreaking use of LLM’s. Fast forward to now, and the A-I landscape has already shifted dramatically. The pace of innovation is staggering. Today, we’re bringing back our guest from that previous episode. Simon Angus is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Monash University. Simon is also a Principal Investigator with SoDa Labs at Monash Business School, a research lab that applies new tools from data science and machine learning to answer social science questions. Simon will help us navigate what’s new, and what we should be thinking about as AI continues to reshape the world. Whether you’re new to AI and unsure where to start, or already exploring how it can transform your work or life, this episode has something for you. Understanding this transformative technology isn’t optional. It’s essential – and Simon is here to break it all down in a way that’s clear, approachable, and practical. Our host is Pranita Shrestha, a PhD Candidate at the Action Lab in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. Episode webpage with links: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/beyond-chatgpt-ai-landscape/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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59:48
The Many Hands of AI: Responsibility and Regulation - with Dr Henry Fraser
This is the second part of our special two-part series, where we dive into the surprising and unexpected ways artificial intelligence, or AI, and the law intersect. This episode takes a closer look at the evolving efforts to regulate AI—an urgent issue that governments and leaders across Australia and around the world are tackling right now. We delve into the complexities of assigning responsibility and managing risks in AI systems—especially when so many hands contribute to their creation. How do you hold a system accountable when its impacts can be so widespread and unpredictable? Our guest is Dr. Henry Fraser, a Research Fellow in Law, Accountability, and Data Science at QUT and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making and Society. His research focuses on developing laws that encourage responsible automated decision-making. Our host for this series is Dr. Aaron Snoswell, a senior research fellow in A-I accountability at the QUT Generative AI Lab, and co-lead of the Responsible Data Science and A-I program at the QUT Centre for Data Science. There is more information and links to some of Dr Fraser's work on our website: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/ai-law-part-2/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to The Random Sample! In this podcast, we share stories about mathematics, statistics, data science and the people involved. This is a collaboration between the Australian Data Science Network (ADSN), the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA), the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS), the OPTIMA ARC Training Centre, the MATRIX Mathematical Research Institute, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). ACEMS created the podcast in 2018. For further resources and show notes, visit therandomsample.com.au
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