Applied Statistician Responsibilities

Applied statistics is the application of statistical data and its organization as well as analysis by skilled professionals in the field. Their work functions are different from traditional statisticians who concentrate on the theoretical part of statistics. Applied statistician responsibilities mainly involve the application of sound statistical knowledge in real world scenarios. Most jobs available in the field of applied statistics are found in government agency related work. Applied statistics is used in various fields such as scientific, medical, sports, education and even military forces.

There are also a number of private sector organizations that hire applied statisticians for data projection and interpolation measures. They play an important role in quality control and overall development of the processes by collating past data and predicting its future outcome on the basis of statistical functions. As most modern organizations have realized the importance of advanced planning and implementation based on past data, the role of applied statisticians has increased manifold in the past few years.

Chief Responsibilities of an Applied Statistician

Given below is a list of the main functions carried out by an applied statistician.

• Planning and collecting data from various experiments, surveys, studies and other sources and using various statistical methods for the purpose of analysis.

• Interpreting the data collected from these experiments for prediction purposes and to help the organization in determining the resources that will be required for future projects.

• Development of various statistical tools such as questionnaires, interviews, opinion polls and surveys in accordance with the specific needs of the organization.

• Creating various charts and diagrams depicting the statistical data in an easy to understand format for the purposes of presentations and periodic reports.

Additional Responsibilities of an Applied Statistician

In addition to the core responsibilities mentioned above, applied statisticians also carry out a number of other tasks. Some of them have been given below:

• Noticing change of trends on the basis of historical data and interpreting them accordingly to make necessary amendments to the application of statistical procedures.

• Identifying various factors in the data that may affect the organization on a long term basis and providing steps towards minimizing the risk of such factors.

• Coordinating with other departments for the overall exchange of information and for reporting purposes.

• In the field of trading and finance management, applied statisticians determine the various risks involved in different investments and financial ventures.

Skills

Owing to the nature of their job which may involve constant interaction with a number of people, an applied statistician must possess excellent communication and inter personal skills in order to carry out his/her job responsibilities in an effective manner. They must have good analytical abilities and a knack of solving problems in crunch situations. As most statistical calculations are carried out with the help of specific computer systems and programs, applied statisticians are expected to have good knowledge in the usage of these software programs as well as other applications such as MS Excel and PowerPoint for reporting and presentation purposes. They must be able to handle large amounts of data without committing any errors while carrying out the calculations and analysis.

Requirements

A master's degree in statistics is generally considered to be the minimum requirements for this job position. However, in some cases, a candidate with a bachelor's degree and good skills may also be considered for the same post. Some research positions may require the candidate to have a Ph. D. in statistics along with several years of experience in the field. Some statisticians are expected to study the basics of the respective field in which they are working so that they can carry out their statistical tasks in a more effective manner. Prior experience in the field is also a requirement for many high level job openings.

Work Conditions

Most applied statisticians work in an office based environment with comfortable lighting conditions. They have a desk based job with long hours spent in front of a computer collecting and analyzing data. This may result in eye strain and back pains because of the continued stress involved. Also, they may have to work over the general 40 hour work period in a week in case of extra work load.

Thus, applied statistician responsibilities and work functions are mostly similar to those of theoretical statisticians, except for the ultimate use of the statistical data in applied fields.