The STOR-i PhD students recently took part in a Data Dive in collaboration with Save the Children, working in teams to explore how statistics and operational research can support research and decision-making around child poverty. The Data Dive was part of STOR-i’s annual Spring School and gave the STOR-i community the opportunity to apply their skills to a real-world societal challenge while engaging directly with a charity partner.

Over the course of the Data Dive, students worked with data provided by Save the Children and presented their findings back to the organisation. The event offered an opportunity not only to study a real-world problem, working with data across multiple sources, but also to engage with questions that are often open-ended, where the value of the analysis depends not only on the chosen methods, but also on careful interpretation, communication, and understanding of the policy context.

Oliver Fiala, Senior Research Advisor for Save the Children stated: “It was a real pleasure to work with the STOR-i PhD students during this year’s Spring School, exploring how data and statistical methods can help us better understand which public policies are most effective in reducing child poverty in low- and middle-income countries. The students brought an impressive level of enthusiasm, expertise, and commitment to the Data Dive, and their work provided us with valuable insights and help inform our future policy work at Save the Children. I’m very grateful to all the students involved, and to the Spring School organisers for their excellent support throughout.”

Gabriel Wallin, Spring School co-organiser, said: “This year’s Data Dive gave students a glimpse of what it is like to work with sensitive policy questions in a non-profit context, where there are many stakeholders and where interpretation and communication are just as important as the sophistication of the data analysis. Oliver Fiala from Save the Children was extremely supportive in helping students think carefully about how data analysis can support understanding and action around child poverty, while also giving them experience of collaborating in teams and communicating their findings to a non-academic partner.”