When Statistics Called: Jamaican scholar’s journey to PhD in UK

KINGSTON, Jamaica — What began as an interest in statistics has taken one Jamaican researcher from lecture halls in Kingston to presenting on the international stage and ultimately earning a PhD in the United Kingdom. Danielle Notice, who recently completed her doctorate at Lancaster University, said her academic journey started while pursuing a bachelor's degree in actuarial science at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. I studied actuarial science, a very maths-heavy degree, and some of my favourite courses were the statistics modules,” she recalled.

“So, after my undergrad, I actually decided I didn't want to be an actuary." Instead, after completing her bachelor's degree in actuarial science in 2019, she pursued a master's degree in statistics with data science at the University of Edinburgh, where she discovered the field she wanted to build her career around. "That's when I truly realised this is a field I could definitely see myself working in,” Notice said. Her master's experience broadened her understanding of statistics while exposing her to real-world applications.

There were areas of statistics that I never even knew existed before doing that master's degree, so a lot of it felt like I was thrown into the deep end, but I still found it quite enjoyable," she said. The programme, which had about 150 students, focused heavily on practical applications through consultancy-style dissertation projects. "We were specifically looking into applications as opposed to thinking about more theoretical approaches and methods, so I always found the application side of things more interesting." Despite studying in a large, international cohort, the 28-year-old stood out in more ways than one.

"Part of me was a bit surprised not only being the only Jamaican but being the only black person in my cohort," she said. "It was also a very international programme, so there were a lot of students from all over Europe and also all over Asia, so I wasn't the only one who was trying to figure out a new culture." Her time in Edinburgh was also shaped by the coronavirus pandemic, with the latter half of her studies taking place during lockdown. "I think I managed to fare all right.

I did have big plans of doing all of my exploring in the spring and summer when the weather is nice.