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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.

@kareemcarr.bsky.social
19K followers 22 following 172 posts

Statistician. PhD @Harvard • Masters degree in pure math • Follow me for fun, nerdy content. Sign up to my newsletter: kareemcarr.substack.com

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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
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.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Check out my new article: vitalstatistics.kareemcarr.com/p/a-simple-e...
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
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.
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...
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.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
All you need is an email. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...
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.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
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...
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
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...
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
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...
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
New article out today. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
New article out today. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
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.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
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.
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Happy to announce I just defended my dissertation at Harvard and I’m now a PhD.
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”.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Happy to announce I just defended my dissertation at Harvard and I’m now a PhD.
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”.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
academic writing is so hard. only way i can do it is to pretend to be a terrible writer and then write like that.
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The US government is aiming to get rid of a quarter million people involved in science research and education by 2026. I have no words.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The US government is aiming to get rid of a quarter million people involved in science research and education by 2026. I have no words.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Jeff Bezos’s wedding cost $50 million which is $20 million more than the U.S. government has spent on math research this year. We’re gutting science funding to fund tax cuts for billionaires.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
The Vital Statistics newsletter is launching in 5 weeks. It’s for anyone curious about what data and statistics teach us about the world we live in. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
The Vital Statistics newsletter is launching in 5 weeks. It’s for anyone curious about what data and statistics teach us about the world we live in. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Vital Statistics is my newsletter where I give you the tools to think clearly about data in an age of lies and distortions. Statistics not as math, but as a pathway to seeing the world more clearly. Launching in 5 weeks. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
Two hands hold an open cloth-bound notebook displaying stitched charts (a scatterplot, line plot, bar chart, and bell curve) against a quilted background embroidered with “Vital Statistics.”
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Vital Statistics is my newsletter where I give you the tools to think clearly about data in an age of lies and distortions. Statistics not as math, but as a pathway to seeing the world more clearly. Launching in 5 weeks. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
Two hands hold an open cloth-bound notebook displaying stitched charts (a scatterplot, line plot, bar chart, and bell curve) against a quilted background embroidered with “Vital Statistics.”
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Amazing how AIs, whether built by right-wing billionaires or left-wing ones, keep discovering the same fundamental truth:
Colbert on the Colbert report with the caption "reality has a well-known liberal bias"
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Rightwingers who argue free speech is only for citizens are telling on themselves. They don’t see free speech as a way to seek truth by testing our beliefs in the marketplace of ideas. They see it as a nuisance we tolerate because the Constitution says we have to.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
problem: can't get the model to say what you want solution: just rewrite the data
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Don’t learn AI because it can replace you. Learn AI because, whether it works or not, your boss is trying to replace you with it anyway. The more you understand the flaws, the better your chances of fighting back.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
people more pro-AI than me? gullible nerds. people more anti-AI than me? fear-addled clowns. and me? perfect, as per usual
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
My Vital Statistics newsletter is launching in 6 weeks. It’s for anyone curious about data, models, and what they can teach us about the world. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
My Vital Statistics newsletter is launching in 6 weeks. It’s for anyone curious about data, models, and what they can teach us about the world. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Hi. I'm starting a newsletter called Vital Statistics. It’s for anyone curious about data, models, and what they can teach us about the world. Launching in 6 weeks. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
The reason I say the US is entering a new dark ages is we’re seeing attacks not just on science, but on the very idea that scientific reasoning should be independent of political control.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
The reason I say the US is entering a new dark ages is we’re seeing attacks not just on science, but on the very idea that scientific reasoning should be independent of political control.
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
The AI industry is full of blatant lies, but the claim that we can reliably detect AI-generated writing is one of the worst. The idea that these pseudoscientific AI writing detectors are being used to justify punishing young people makes me incandescent with rage.
Tweet from Elliot Rockart: I hate Ai so much. I spent five hours on a lab report. No outside help, didn't even use google. It wasn't even graded because turnitin software said it was "80% Ai". What the fuck does that mean and how do I appeal it?? I have literally never used Ai???
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
My Vital Statistics newsletter is blowing up. Subscriptions have doubled in the last two weeks alone. Excited to be building something new with all of you. Launching this summer. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Thinking about ideas at the intersection of data, math and morality is my jam. If that sounds fun to you, you'll probably like my newsletter. Launching this summer. Sign up here: kareemcarr.substack.com
kareemcarr.substack.com
Vital Statistics | Kareem Carr | Substack
A newsletter about statistics as a way of seeing the world—not just numbers, but critical thinking, discernment, and structured sensemaking. Click to read Vital Statistics, by Kareem Carr, a Substack ...
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
The AI industry is full of blatant lies, but the claim that we can reliably detect AI-generated writing is one of the worst. The idea that these pseudoscientific AI writing detectors are being used to justify punishing young people makes me incandescent with rage.
Tweet from Elliot Rockart: I hate Ai so much. I spent five hours on a lab report. No outside help, didn't even use google. It wasn't even graded because turnitin software said it was "80% Ai". What the fuck does that mean and how do I appeal it?? I have literally never used Ai???
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
My Vital Statistics newsletter is blowing up. Subscriptions have doubled in the last two weeks alone. Excited to be building something new with all of you. Launching this summer. Sign up now: kareemcarr.substack.com
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Make no mistake. This is an extinction level event for American scientific dominance.
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Reposted by Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D.
Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
COMING SOON, the Vital Statistics newsletter explores how statistics and data help us make sense of the world. Launching this summer. Sign up here: kareemcarr.substack.com
Title is “Vital Statistics”. Two by two grid of stylized statistical plots.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
COMING SOON, the Vital Statistics newsletter explores how statistics and data help us make sense of the world. Launching this summer. Sign up here: kareemcarr.substack.com
Title is “Vital Statistics”. Two by two grid of stylized statistical plots.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
so good 😭
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
✨ studio ghibli statistics ✨
Studio ghibli version of R for Data Science
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Dr Ellie Murray, ScD @epiellie.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Some personal news: I have resigned from Boston University as of this week. Those of you that have been following me for a while will know I have been having some health issues—I have resigned to focus on recovery. I’ve also started a newsletter (epiellie.substack.com), so please follow me there.
epiellie.substack.com
E is for Epi | Ellie Murray, ScD | Substack
Making sense of the science of public health. Click to read E is for Epi, by Ellie Murray, ScD, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
HYPOTHESIS: The current turn towards anti-intellectualism in the US is in part a response to the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of the modern world.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Today I’m grateful for the time and space to perfect my craft while being mentored by some of the best scientists in the world.
The Book “How To Prove It” and an iPad displaying notes.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
An Oct 2024 Pew Research poll finds a majority of Americans and 64% of Republicans would prefer scientists not participate in public policy debates about science. Honestly, this explains a lot.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
interviewed at an insurance company once. job was to statistically design disaster insurance policies with the right combo of caveats to pay out the least possible, but not so many caveats that the customers figured out what we were doing this was explained to me without shame
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Beginning to understand why so many Americans are obsessed with trans issues and panicking about being replaced. They think there are 21x more trans people, 27x more muslims, 15x more jews, 5x more asians, 3x more black people, and 2x more immigrants than there actually are.
YouGov 2022 poll results for American’s estimates of various group sizes as a proportion of the US population vs the actual numbers.
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Dr. Kareem Carr, Ph.D. @kareemcarr.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
“free speech”

X is the best place on the internet for unrestricted free speech unlike Bl**sk* or S**st**k. Whether trans or *** gender, we can all agree it's nice to be free of the word police. To read more, check out my latest article [external link placed in next tweet to avoid throttling].
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