David Spiegelhalter

Sir David Spiegelhalter is a distinguished statistician and academic, recognized for his profound contributions to the public understanding of risk and his work in biostatistics. After serving as the Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge from 2007 to 2018, Sir David Spiegelhalter became a leading voice in demystifying complex statistical information for public consumption. During his tenure, he notably popularized concepts like the micromort and microlife, making profound contributions to risk communication. His expertise was crucial in high-profile public inquiries, including investigations into children’s heart surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, the murders committed by Harold Shipman, and the independent inquiry into the Mid Staffs Trust.

He also hosted the BBC Four documentary ‘Tails You Win: The Science of Chance’ (2012) and presented ‘How to Spot a Shabby Statistic’ at the Cambridge Science Festival (2013). Sir David’s extensive career began after completing his Doctor of Philosophy in mathematical statistics from University College London (1978), with a thesis on ‘Adaptive inference using finite mixture models.’ His early appointments included Research Assistant at Brunel University (1976), Visiting Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley (1977-1978), and a research assistant for the Royal College of Physicians. In 1981, he joined the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit at Cambridge. He also led the WinBUGS statistical software team and has served as an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong since 1991.

A prolific author, his published works consistently aim to make statistics accessible, underscoring his commitment to enhancing public understanding and informed decision-making.