Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.

So people might get the gist of papers faster. Could mean people will find niche papers faster too.

I wonder how much that will change things since intuitions about the dataset built during exploratory analyses are often critical to later work. We might still wish to do it manually.

I'm tired of takes about how AI will change science that come from people who either don't care about how science works, or are just extrapolating wildly based on vibes.

Would love to hear how some of you are thinking about AI and science in the comments.

Check out my new article: vitalstatistics.kareemcarr.com/p/a-simple-e...

source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38128861/

Autism has gone up by a factor of five since 2000 but acetominophen use during pregnancy has been going down. Sorry but the math just ain’t mathing.

When I first studied statistics in high school, it appeared to me not as a revelation, but as a jumble of bizarre formulas that defied explanation. I could not for the life of me make sense of it. The calculations were mechanical and joyless. Compared to the elegance of physics, these equations felt unappealing, artificial, and just plain wrong. There was no reasoning to follow, only rules to memorize. I decided with absolute finality: statistics was not for me.

Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...

Over the next few months, here are the types of posts you can expect to see in the Vital Statistics newsletter Shorts: Statistics thoughts of the day. 1-2 minute reads. Essays: Longer pieces. Meditations on statistics as a way of seeing the world. 5-10 minute reads. Case Studies: Educational examples of statistical analysis with charts and code Notes: Executive summaries of statistical ideas. Will sometimes involve math, but my principle is always the least amount of math possible to get the idea across. I will also point to resources for people who want to go deeper. Reviews: Statistics-related book reviews and book recommendations. All content will be 100% free for the next two months.

All you need is an email. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com

When I first studied statistics in high school, it appeared to me not as a revelation, but as a jumble of bizarre formulas that defied explanation. I could not for the life of me make sense of it. The calculations were mechanical and joyless. Compared to the elegance of physics, these equations felt unappealing, artificial, and just plain wrong. There was no reasoning to follow, only rules to memorize. I decided with absolute finality: statistics was not for me.

Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...

In today’s post, I write about what the inaccessibility of scientific journals says about modern science. Basically it's a trade off.

Read more about it here:
kareemcarr.substack.com/p/the-langua...

In today's article, learn how a chance discussion with the chair of Harvard’s statistics department changed everything about how I think about learning statistics.

Click here to read the full article: kareemcarr.substack.com/p/the-hardes...

Enjoy!

Yup. I'm still figuring out the format. Thanks!

Hope you enjoyed it!

I appreciate it. Thanks!

That's really nice to hear. Thank you!

So how do you it? How do you go about learning statistics?

Read this completely free article to find out: kareemcarr.substack.com/p/the-hardes...

Statisticians need to learn math, coding, verbal and written communication, critical thinking and have a good sense of data.

Such a variety of skills makes learning statistics on your own uniquely hard.

Most people think the hardest part of learning statistics is the math.

But what wears you down isn’t the equations, it’s the mental load of figuring out how and what to learn, while you’re also trying to learn the thing itself.

In today's article, learn how a chance discussion with the chair of Harvard’s statistics department changed everything about how I think about learning statistics.

Click here to read the full article: kareemcarr.substack.com/p/the-hardes...

To be clear, the writing will get longer as I figure out the dynamics of the platform. This is the experimentation/information gathering phase.

New article out today. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...

In my experience, higher ups often try to get rid of data analysts as a first move, only to discover later whether they really need them or not.

So I definitely expect them to try.

I just defended my PhD. Not only have I not taken any kind of break yet, I still have a lot to finish up from that. The newsletter is free and you definitely don't have to read it.

New article out today. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...

A white marble slab with the words Vital Statistics engraved at the top, sitting above a panel of four statistical charts. Listing from from upper left, clockwise: a scatter plot, histogram, density plot of a normal distribution and line chart. The lettering and figures are lit as if with an internal warm, yellow glow. Miniature toy figures are standing around the base of the marble block in evening wear with wine classes. There is a celebratory atmosphere.

My newsletter has finally launched! New article out later today. Don't miss out. Sign up here: kareemcarr.substack.com

A white marble slab with the words Vital Statistics engraved at the top, sitting above a panel of four statistical charts. Listing from from upper left, clockwise: a scatter plot, histogram, density plot of a normal distribution and line chart. The lettering and figures are lit as if with an internal warm, yellow glow. Miniature toy figures are standing around the base of the marble block in evening wear with wine classes. There is a celebratory atmosphere.

My newsletter has finally launched! New article out later today. Don't miss out. Sign up here: kareemcarr.substack.com

Kareem Carr standing outside Harvard School of Public Health moments after his successful PhD defense. He is smiling, dressed in a dark-patterned sport coat and dress pants, leaning casually against a railing. There is a bright red sign over his right shoulder that reads “Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health”.

Happy to announce I just defended my dissertation at Harvard and I’m now a PhD.

Thank you!

Thank you!!!