Prf Rachel Hilliam

Professional biography

Rachel Hilliam is Professor of Statistics in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, where she is currently Head of School, having previously held the roles of Director of Teaching for Mathematics and Statistics and academic lead for the Mathematics and Statistics student support team. She has worked in a number of universities and as a medical statistician in the NHS before joining The Open University in 2011.

She has a strong interest in teaching statistics and is a regular contributor to the annual Induction Course for New Lecturers in Mathematics Sciences organised by the Institute of Mathematics and its Application. Rachel is a founding member of the Teaching Statistics Section at the RSS and is a founding co-organiser, along with Michael Grove (IMA and University of Birmingham) and Kevin Houston (LMS and University of Leeds), of TALMO (Teaching and Learning Mathematics Online).

During 2021-2023 Rachel was Vice-President of the Royal Statistical Society and the inaugural chair of the Alliance for Data Science Professionals of which she is now Chair Emeritus. In 2024 Rachel was awarded The Chambers Medal by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), a prestigious commendation of her significant contribution to data science. 

Research interests

Rachel's research spans three broad areas:

1. Mathematics and Statistics Pedagogic research including: 
   • Ways of delivering statistics service teaching to multiple audiences
   • Enhancing the student experience, from induction to careers
   • Statistical anxiety
   • Changes to mathematical pedagogy due to the rapid shift to online learning in response to Covid-19
2. Medical Statistics research including:
   • Collaboration with computer scientists and radiologists to build an expert system using machine learning to avoid costly MRI scans in addition to x-rays.
   • Designing quality of life measurement tools, most noticeably LYMQOL which is widely used in the UK and has been translated into a number of different languages for world-wide use. V. Keeley, S. Crooks, J. Locke, D. Veigas, K. Riches and R. Hilliam (2010) ‘A quality of 
     life measure for limb lymphoedema (LYMQOL)’ Journal of Lymphoedema, Vol 5(1), 2-13.
   • Infection control, including input into the development of a patented device to reduce surgical site infection. 
3. Exploring the statistical aspects of multi-dimensional chaotic systems. This collaborative work with Prof A J Lawrance has applications in signal processing and involved research with engineers at the University of Bologna.  

Teaching interests

Rachel is a module team member of M248 Analysing data which is a Level 2 module taken by students from a wide range of disciplines including Data Science, Economics, Computing and IT and Science as well as students studying degrees in Mathematics and Statistics. During her time at the Open University she has contributed to all the statistics modules which the School of Mathematics and Statistics offers. 

Impact and engagement

Rachel was Vice-President for Professional Affairs, 2021-2023 at the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), and chaired the Professional Affairs Committee (PAC) which oversees all professional aspects of the Society's work. This includes conferring Data Analyst, Graduate and Chartered Statistician status to qualified members, accrediting university and training courses as well as continuing professional development for statisticians. 

She has been involved in collaborative work to develop standards and competencies for academic institutions and for use in the workplace since in 2020. This work resulted in the creation of the Alliance for Data Science Professionals (AfDSP) which Rachel chaired since its formation in July 2021 until Dec 2023. The AfDSP aims to define, promote and certify professional standards within Data Science. The standards recognise the range of roles and jobs involved in Data Science and build upon the codes of conduct of the associated professional societies. The initial members of the Alliance include: The Royal Statistical Society (RSS),The British Computer Society (BCS), The Operational Research (OR) Society, The Institute of Mathematics & its Applications (IMA), The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and The Alan Turing Institute (ATi). The work has gained support from the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Government where it is referenced in the National Data Strategy. Rachel is currently Emeritus Chair of the AfDSP and in 2024 was awarded The Chambers Medal by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), a prestigious commendation of her significant contribution to data science.

She is a founding member of the RSS Section in Teaching Statistics in Higher Education which aims to promote good teaching practice in statistics in higher education and professional training.

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an emergency move to online teaching throughout the world. To assist with these preparations and avoid wasteful duplication of effort Rachel, together with Michael Grove (IMA and University of Birmingham) and Kevin Houston (LMS and University of Leeds), co-created TALMO. From 2020-2021 the workshops and resources supported numerous Mathematics Sciences Departments around the world. In 2022 the focus of TALMO moved from teaching and learning mathematics online to an online seminar series which covers teaching and learning mathematics in all its forms. It continues to support a community of mathematical science educators with an active programme of seminars. 

External collaborations

I  have several collaborative projects with both Leicester and Derby Hospitals and am an Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Warwick.