Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Who is this event intended for? This event is intended for people who create data visualizations as well as customers who work with data visualization developers to make their data come to life.
What is the benefit of attending? This is a fun event where the audience will participate and become part of an experiment using polls and quick exposure to images (~250 milliseconds) to validate some of the principles taught in this course. This event will benefit data visualization developers and customers by teaching them how to leverage gestalt principles and pre-attentive processing in selecting aesthetics to maximize the effectiveness of their data visualizations.
Registration
You can now register for this event. This event is free of charge to both Members and Non-Members of PSI.
To register for the session, please click here.
Overview
The visual cortex can recognize certain “targets” and “borders”, based on variations in visual cues such as shape and color, within 250 milliseconds; this is called pre-attentive processing. This is faster than it takes to become conscious of the image. When combining visual cues, conjunctive visual cues, the pre-attentive qualities are generally lost. We will illustrate these concepts through an empirical experiment with the audience. The audience will be expected to participate and identify targets and borders within 250 milliseconds. We will cover what types of visual cues are conducive to pre-attentive processing and how to incorporate these concepts in your data visualizations. Similarly, the study of gestalt principles from psychology, seeing meaning in a purposeful arrangement of design elements, can be leveraged for effective data visualizations. We will also discuss the hierarchies of perception and how this applies to data visualization.
Speaker details
Zachary Skrivanek
Dr. Skrivanek graduated with a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Cornell University, where he studied exploratory data analysis under Professor Velleman, a protégé of John W. Tukey, who invented a number of statistical graphics including the box plot. He joined Eli Lilly in 2002 where he contributed to the development of endocrine-related medicines and related biomarkers in early clinical phase drug development. He later transitioned to a product team in late phase clinical development as the lead statistician and developed and successfully implemented an innovative Bayesian adaptive, seamless phase 2/3 study which selected the doses for the entire program utilizing a clinical utility index. Dr. Skrivanek heavily leveraged data visualization to communicate the operating characteristics of the design as well as the results of the study.
He is currently leading an effort to make visual analytics and good data visualization practices in general an integral part of drug development at Eli Lilly and the industry in general. He is involved in a number of external collaborations focused on advancing drug development through visual analytics including co-leading a subproject in PHUSE, on “Interactive Data Visualizations for Decision Making in Submissions”, and contributing to an ASA-DIA working group on interactive safety graphics and an organizing member on a PSI (Statistics in the Pharmaceutical Industry) Special Interest Group (SIG) which hosts a monthly event, “Wonderful Wednesdays” where members are given data visualization challenges that they must solve for the following month and the solutions are critiqued by the panel based on good data visualization principles.
Upcoming Events
PSI Introduction to Industry Training (ITIT) Course - 2026/2027
An introductory course giving an overview of the pharmaceutical industry and the drug development process as a whole, aimed at those with 1-3 years' experience. It comprises of six 2-day sessions covering a range of topics including Research and Development, Toxicology, Data Management and the Role of a CRO, Clinical Trials, Reimbursement, and Marketing.
Joint PSI/EFSPI Visualisation SIG 'Wonderful Wednesday' Webinars
Our monthly webinar explores examples of innovative data visualisations relevant to our day to day work. Each month a new dataset is provided from a clinical trial or other relevant example, and participants are invited to submit a graphic that communicates interesting and relevant characteristics of the data.
Our monthly webinar series allows attendees to gain practical knowledge and skills in open-source coding and tools, with a focus on applications in the pharmaceutical industry. This month’s session, “Graphics Basics,” will introduce the fundamentals of producing graphics using the ggplot2 package.
This networking event is aimed at statisticians that are new to the pharmaceutical industry who wish to meet colleagues from different companies and backgrounds.
PSI Book Club: The AI Con – Joint with ASA Book Club
The Guardian described the authors of this book as refreshingly sarcastic! What is sold to us as AI, they announce, is just "a bill of goods": "A few major well-placed players are poised to accumulate significant wealth by extracting value from other people's creative work, personal data, or labour, and replacing quality services with artificial facsimiles."
Causal Inference SIG and EFSPI Methods Leaders: Modern Covariate Adjustment in Clinical Trials
This webinar will discuss modern approaches to covariate adjustment in clinical trials. We begin with the motivation and key principles underlying the FDA guidance, then revisit established methodologies in light of these regulatory considerations. Building on this foundation, we explore extensions to more advanced applications in clinical trial analysis. The webinar concludes with an outlook on future developments and a panel discussion.
PSI Book Club: Another Door Opens – Book Club Special Event
This is a Book Club Special Event in response to the changes in our industry and as a supportive move to create community and connection for those navigating redundancy and uncertainty. Read the book in advance of the book club session then join the zoom call to discuss ideas. There will be breakout groups to connect with others, exchange experiences of how the book has helped, and offer support.
PSI Book Club: Change: How organisations achieve hard-to-image results in uncertain and volatile times
Organizations have to adapt to the transforming landscape of our industry to ensure they continue to be successful in the future. Many of us are feeling the impact of organizational change. By reading John P Kotter’s book we can understand about organizational change and learn how to thrive, rather than just survive, through change.
Change, by John P Kotter (and his team), is a summary of all that he has learned over his decades of research and leading change. His book describes why many current approaches to change are inadequate and explains why new solutions need to give people a voice and a role in a new, change-embracing organization.
Develop your understanding of organisational change and become empowered to be part of your organisation’s change, by reading Change by John P Kotter and joining the Sept-Dec 2025 book club. You will be invited to join facilitated discussions of the concepts and ideas and apply knowledge from the book in-between sessions.
This networking event is aimed at statisticians that are new to the pharmaceutical industry who wish to meet colleagues from different companies and backgrounds.
PSI Training Course: Propensity Scores: Practical Application in Non-randomised Studies
The course will introduce the topic of propensity scores and the use of external data. Covering the topics of matching and weighting as well as more advance topics of high dimension propensity scores, multi-valued treatments, double robustness and time-varying scenarios. There will be the opportunity to participate in some hands on practical exercises in R.
This networking event is aimed at statisticians that are new to the pharmaceutical industry who wish to meet colleagues from different companies and backgrounds.
A Lead Statistician builds and leads teams of statisticians and representatives from other functions and ensures the use of appropriate and efficient statistical analysis methods during development of Bayer products
Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit - Undergraduate Internships
The Internship is open to undergraduate students in the penultimate year of their undergraduate degree at a UK university, in a mathematical, statistical, or quantitative related field.
As a Senior Statistician, you will provide high-quality statistical support to one of our key-FSP clients. At Senior level you may also take on a supervisory role (e.g. line management and/or project management), depending on your experience and interest.