iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 21/08/2026

Making good use of my annual leave 🤗 🍚

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 22/07/2026

There's eduroam at Brisbane airport!! And it works! What?! How good is that!

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 12/01/2026

A lot happened in 2025, including welcoming 3 postdocs to the team and running the regional Biometrics conference. Well done to postdocs for their talks and students for their posters 🎉 Some highlights at anu-aagi.github.io/news/posts/2... Here's to 2026 🥂 And wishing everyone a happy new year!

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 10/12/2025

Prettier R manual coming soon 😁✨

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 23/11/2025

My paper "Examining the Interface Design of Tidyverse" is now published in ANZJS. This paper calls attention to the importance of UI/UX principles & approaches to statisiticians and #rstats developers. Many thanks to reviewers who made this paper better! 🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author...

the UI design principles and the two UI approaches

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 21/11/2025

Looking forward to next week as we kickstart the Biometrics conference! We’ve also got an explicit printout of the Pac-Man rule to make it a welcome and inclusive event 🤗 #BIBC2025

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 16/11/2025

Congratulations to my student, Maggie Ma, for publishing her first #rstats package {ggincerta} on CRAN 🥳 Spatial uncertainty visualisation (bivariate, pixel, exceedance, glyph), like {Vizumap}, but fully integrated with ggplot2 -- a much simpler API with all the advantages of the ggplot2 system.

exceedance plot

ggplot(nc) + geom_sf(aes(fill = duo_exceed(value, sd)))

bivariate plot

ggplot(nc) + geom_sf(aes(fill = duo(value, sd)))

glyph plot

ggplot(nc) + geom_sf_glyph(mapping = aes(v1 = value, v2 = sd))

pixel plot

ggplot(nc) + geom_sf_pixel(mapping = aes(v1 = value, v2 = sd))

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 21/10/2025

Fantastic job @fontikar.bsky.social & @weihaolipatrick.bsky.social ! Beautiful slides and well explained statistical concepts — you both have amazingly high standards 😍

Patrick presenting about generalised linear models

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 19/10/2025

Ahead of World Statistics Day (20/10), @isi-official.bsky.social has released an official statement: "No Statistics, No Deal" In celebration, SSA has a webinar tomorrow, featuring @bharrap.bsky.social + more: www.statsoc.org.au/event-6365055 #WorldStatisticsDay #DataForDevelopment #TrustInData

No Statistics, No Deal
Statistics are more than numbers; statistics are society’s mirror. Without reliable statistics,
democracy falters, markets waver, and citizens lose the means to hold power to account.
Reliable figures on growth, jobs, inflation, health, environment and education allow people to
judge for themselves, based on impartial evidence rather than political spin. When statistics
vanish, speculation fills the gap — and trust disappears.
Statistics underpin international scientific cooperation in fields ranging from vaccine innovation
to climate research and sustainable development by providing accessible and shared sources
of evidence. When their integrity is undermined, mistrust can spread across borders. An attack
on statistics and science in one country can quickly become a political export, replicated
elsewhere by actors with similar objectives.

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 13/09/2025

As it was wonderful to meet you too Ella! Thank you for the rainbowR sticker, now proudly on my laptop 🌈

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 09/09/2025

A pleasure to present research and the analytics projects for the Australian grains industry to the UTokyo Lab of Biometry and Bioinformatics 🌾 Fantastic to also listen to the lab’s students present their crop analytics work 🫛🇯🇵 Bonus: the food is so good here 🤤 anu-aagi.github.io/news/posts/2...

Presenting to the UTokyo Lab of Biometry and Bioinformatics

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 04/09/2025

Honored to be Highly Commended for The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning under the leadership of Alice Richardson as part of Statistical People of Knowledge and Experience (SPOKEs) 🎖️ learningandteaching.anu.edu.au/development/...

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 10/08/2025

✈️ Travelling soon to Seoul 🇰🇷, Tokyo 🇯🇵, Kyoto 🇯🇵, Coventry 🇬🇧 , Edinburgh 🇬🇧 and Sydney 🇦🇺 Do DM me if I'm in your town and you want an academic chat ☺️ Happy always to chat stats, data science, or plant breeding 🌾 emitanaka.org

Two upcoming talks:
Growing success with statistics in plant breeding
Forum “Math for Industry”
2025-08-19
Leveraging large language models in a composable system to design and simulate plant experiments
EUCARPIA Biometrics in Plant Breeding
2025-09-17

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 14/07/2025

As the ANU Analytics for 🇦🇺 Grains Industry project gets underway, we sprinted with 4 training sessions discussing everything from analysis of field trials to project management, while enjoying some wheat cake 🌾 We are sharing our training materials on the web 👇 🔗 anu-aagi.github.io/news/posts/2...

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 10/07/2025

We're pleased to welcome Yidi Deng, last of 3 postdocs we hired for Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry project! Yidi has an impressive list of work from his PhD in developing and applying statistical methods for single cell data integration analysis. 🔗 anu-aagi.github.io/news/posts/2...

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 17/06/2025

Looking forward to hearing about university governance and more from @davidpocock.bsky.social

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 09/06/2025

What do you do in a long weekend? Get to know your own university by analysing the distribution of ANU researchers and the number of their publications by academic organisational units (yeah, I must be fun at parties 😆). emitanaka.org/blog/2025-06...

The number of ANU researchers by college

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 04/06/2025

This happened just before my online workshop 😭 I couldn’t join ANU zoom and start the meeting as host. I had to give up and pay for my own zoom in the end 😢

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 04/06/2025

Following Patrick (@weihaolipatrick.bsky.social), we're delighted to welcome Fonti (@fontikar.bsky.social), who joined @scienceanu.bsky.social as part of the Analytics of the Australian Grains Industry! anu-aagi.github.io/news/posts/2...

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 05/05/2025

As part of this project, we've trialled the chat program (aka open-source replacement for Slack), #Zulip, for several weeks. Code syntax highlighting + writing maths has been a delight. I recommend it! Thanks @ml4x.bsky.social for the recommendation!

Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) aims at harnessing analytics to drive the sector’s profitability and global competitiveness. AAGI has a national network with partnerships across multiple organisations. Australian National University (ANU) is one of those partners.

ANU-AAGI aims to consolidate analytical expertise to solve agricultural problems across ANU. Any ANU staff/student interested in contributing can join this effort. Email emi.tanaka@anu.edu.au if you would like to join. For more information see here: https://anu-aagi.github.io/.

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 04/05/2025

Once again, Australian election results prove how awful choropleth maps are for data visualisation. "Land doesn't vote, people do." #rstats code to reproduce animation here: github.com/emitanaka/oz...

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 03/05/2025

Enjoying some democracy sausages 🗳️

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 06/04/2025

I'm slightly concerned that Statistics appear sidelined in qualifications, even when job req is mostly statistics. I hope that decision makers know, as cool as DS+AI are, it's not a replacement for #statistics. Technology come & go, but statistical thinking will always stand the test of time.

A Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science or in a field relevant to the position (e.g. bioinformatics, statistics) from a recognised tertiary institution or equivalent academic qualifications.

As our Scientist (Biometry) you will be based in either Toowoomba or Dutton Park (EcoScience):
• Collaborate with researchers to develop and refine research questions to address the aims of their research projects.
• Design agricultural research experiments based on the statistical theory of experimental design, ensuring experimental designs enable the research question to be validly addressed, considering the logistical feasibility and optimal use of resources.
• Analyse data using statistics software packages such as Genstat, ASREML and R.
• Apply your knowledge of the principles of statistical inference to interpret and present research findings, assisting researchers with the interpretation and presentation of results including data visualisation, GIS mapping and presentations with platforms such as PowerBI.
• Use bioinformatics tools, methods, data analyses, data management and analysis platforms to support diverse research projects.
• Apply machine learning and predictive modelling to the analysis and modelling of larger and/or unstructured/complex datasets.
• Manipulate large datasets, interrogate data from multi-stage data pipelines and devise and maintain these pipelines.
• Provide training and support for clients in statistical, bioinformatics and/or computing methodologies.
• Consult on project plans and communicate research findings to industry.
• Build rapport to establish constructive, effective, and positive working relationships with people at all organisational levels.

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 17/02/2025

Good luck with the new job! Last month I ate a soup curry made by a Hokkaido chef at Perth 🇦🇺 and it was heavenly 🤤 I’m envious you get to try the real thing locally!

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 08/02/2025

another app made using #Quarto live + #Observable JS -- this time finding the best of line of fit by visual inspection

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 08/02/2025

Using #Observable JS + #Quarto to create an app to demonstrate the central limit theorem from sampling from uniform [0,1] distribution repeatedly and plotting the empirical mean distribution

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 02/02/2025

Got it working with play now!

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 02/02/2025

Okay, I was meant to upload on video, not photo!

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 02/02/2025

gif doesn't play/autoplay on bluesky?

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 02/02/2025

Reworking my intro to stats with R materials using #quarto live and it's sooo good! Interactive R code + reactive visualisation right in my slides 💯

A gif showing an interactive simulation of binomial experiments compared to its theoretical distribution and properties

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 19/01/2025

Yikes. What a week to be in Perth 🥵

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 07/01/2025

Well I recall in the past there were fixed and non-fixed width Latin option but it doesn’t appear for me now, except for numbers it seems (second one in image attached is fixed width)

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 02/01/2025

Want to use your #statistics, ML/AI or #bioinformatics skills to solve problems in #agriculture? We are seeking 3 postdocs (up to 3 years) to join at ANU Biological Data Science Institute as part of Analytics for 🇦🇺 Grains industry by 📅 19 Jan We now also have a (WIP) website! 🌐 anu-aagi.github.io

ANU-AAGI team featuring investigators: Eric Stone, Emi Tanaka, Alan Welsh and Francis Hui

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 19/12/2024

If you are a researcher or academic, please make it easy to find your contact details! This is an old talk of mine for the WA Young Stats Event but the advice still holds (just replace twitter with bsky or mastodon). 👩‍💻 "What every young statistician should know" emitanaka.org/slides/YSW2020

a graph showing how the number of articles and people working are increasing

Do you exist if we can't find you on google?

all the technological advances changing communication style

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 12/12/2024

I think you need to go to the feed section on the right hand corner, search and follow the #rstats feed

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 09/12/2024

It's working for me, but I haven't updated elmer nor shinychat for a few weeks

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 09/12/2024

Come check our invited session #IBC2024ATL 🕘 9AM Tue at Room M303 📊 "Interactive Visualisation for Effective Decision-making in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences"

the slide about human computer interaction

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 06/12/2024

A (much needed) water bottle gift as I head out to the international biometrics conference at Atlanta, USA ✈️ Our invited session on 📊 "Interactive visualisation for effective decision-making in agricultural and environmental sciences" on at 9am Tue!

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 02/12/2024

The rollout of the new public transport system (myway+) in Canberra has just been terrible. QR code doesn't work and physical card is out of stock. Today updated the iOS app and now QR doesn't load even when I definitely have internet connection.

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 27/11/2024

Some plots for ARC discovery project stats. Perhaps not surprising but the biological sciences on average get more funding (both in terms of numbers and amount). The spread of the amount awarded has noticeably decreased compared to the past. Note: FOR code switched from 2023.

The plot of funding amount for each FOR for ARC discovery project starting in 2025

The plot of the number of successful ARC DP grants over time by FOR code

The plot of the amount of funding for successful ARC DP grants over time by FOR code

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 22/11/2024

Trying out the tool calling for LLM via `elmer` #rstats package and it works great! The granular details in the `edibble` object and not given directly to the LLM but it extracts it when needed. Very cool! An extension package to `edibble` with LLM-powered experimental planning to come :)

code that calls the tool calling in LLM via elmer

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 17/11/2024

This is in contrast to when I used to use stickmen as my actors! emitanaka.org/slides/Ihaka...

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 17/11/2024

Experimenting with #genAI and it makes it so much easier to build characters and storyboards in my talks. My slides look more pro now!

The title slide for my talk "Building computational frameworks for enchanced practice of statistics"

Everyday data analysts and the constraints they face

A picture of a statistician talking to a domain expert about wheat yield experiment

Distilling the components of the experimental design based on the description

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 23/10/2024

Keen to learn how to use large language models like chatGPT using #rstats? Me too 🙋‍♀️ 💻 My attempt to teach this at my recent LLM workshop: emitanaka.org/workshop-LLM...

Slide title page that says Architecture of large language models

Slide title page that says landscape of large language models

R code on using chat ollama and the top_p model parameter

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 22/10/2024

Hi to new and old followers! 👋 I post about a mix of data, stats, computing, ag and bio 🐦 The latest work I'm passionate about is large language models (LLM) and I made an #rstats 📦 for helping you with data cleaning tasks using AI: github.com/emitanaka/SAI Keen to know how you are using LLMs!

A slide that says "Let's discuss" and

How do LLMs complement or hinder statistical thinking?

What role should LLMs play in decision-making processes and research?

How will LLMs impact the training and development of future statisticians and data scientists?

What are the use cases of LLM for you (if any)?

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 14/06/2024

Exciting to see that `edibble`, and many #rstats packages, now has a DOI! A reminder that **research software is a first-class research output**, so please cite it when you use it! ARDC captures this well in their report: zenodo.org/records/6378...

A landing page for the CRAN R package edibble with the DOI highlighted.

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 03/06/2024

I agree and it can’t demise when I just submitted my talk for it!

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 16/12/2023

Received some fortune cookies at the #ASC2023 The fortune was corny but so meant for me! “Why are open source statistical programming languages the best? Because they R” #rstats

Why are open source statistical programming languages the best? Because they R

Have you heard the latest stats joke? Probably

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Emi Tanaka @emitanaka.org · 04/12/2023

My talk at the Biometrics at the Bays of Island: "A tool to easily simulate valid experimental data" #rstats emitanaka.org/slides/biome... Also, watch out for 2025! Australasian Region Biometrics conference is going to be in Canberra!

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