AI and Statistics Start-ups: Opportunities and Challenges

AI and Statistics Start-ups: Opportunities and Challenges

Author: Alexander Schacht and Benjamin Piske, biometricians, statisticians and leaders in the pharma industry June 30, 2025 Duration: 43:32
In this thought-provoking keynote recording, Manjari Narayan takes us on a journey through one of the most pressing and promising intersections in modern science: the convergence of artificial intelligence, statistics, and biotechnology. Drawing on her extensive experience in both academia and biotech startups, Manjari explores the critical role statisticians can play in AI-driven drug discovery, biomarker validation, and experimental design. We are living in a "Cambrian explosion" of biotechnology, where high-throughput experiments, protein engineering, humanized models, and AI-powered screening open massive opportunities—but also introduce challenges in scientific validity, reproducibility, and decision-making. Through personal vignettes and cutting-edge examples, Manjari lays out how statistical thinking can (and should) drive better outcomes in early-stage drug development, biomarker discovery, and translational model evaluation. This episode is a must-listen for statisticians, data scientists, and healthcare innovators navigating the rapidly evolving biotech and AI startup landscape.

Hosted by Alexander Schacht and Benjamin Piske, both practicing biometricians and leaders within the pharmaceutical industry, The Effective Statistician-in association with PSI is a conversation about the practical realities of the profession. This isn't a theoretical lecture series; it's a resource built from the ground up by statisticians who navigate the same challenges you do every day. The discussions focus on actionable strategies for increasing your influence and efficiency, whether you're analyzing data, presenting findings, or guiding a team. You'll hear perspectives on developing leadership qualities even without a formal management title, and gain insight into current debates within the scientific and regulatory communities. The aim is to provide context for the health sector's evolving landscape, translating complex industry dynamics into relevant knowledge for your work. Tune in for a candid exploration of what it means to be a modern statistician, designed to help you refine your approach and achieve a more significant impact. This podcast serves as a professional toolkit, created in association with PSI (Promoting Statistical Insight), for statisticians at any career stage looking to deepen their expertise and navigate their roles with greater confidence and clarity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Effective Statistician - in association with PSI
Podcast Episodes
Real-World Evidence vs. Randomized Trials: Can We Emulate Accuracy? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
In this keynote episode, Professor Sebastian Schneeweiss from Harvard Medical School shares groundbreaking insights from his extensive research into emulating randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using real-world data (RW…
The Power of Networking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:32
In this episode of The Effective Statistician, Alun Bedding takes the mic to explore one of the most underrated yet transformative tools in any professional's career—networking. With the PSI Conference happening, this ep…
Daily updated systematic literature reviews - the future of oncology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:57
How can oncologists and healthcare professionals keep up with the ever-growing body of research to make the best decisions for patients? In this episode, I speak with Anna Forsythe, a pharmacologist, health economist, an…
A novel approach for finding predictive biomarkers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:39
In this episode, I’m joined by Julia Geronimi from Servier and Dr. Pavel Mozgunov from the University of Cambridge to explore a topic that’s absolutely central to advancing precision medicine—predictive biomarkers. We di…
RWE and JCA - how do they go together [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:21
In this episode, I’m excited to welcome back Katrin Kupas, a statistician with deep expertise in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and real world evidence (RWE). We dive into how RWE and the new Joint Clinical Assessmen…
Why and how you can promote more students become statisticians [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:32
As someone who found my way into statistics late—only halfway through university—I often wonder: what if more young people knew about this path earlier? In this episode, I sit down with two wonderful guests and PSI volun…
Reimagining Clinical Trials with Synthetic Data and Digital Twins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:11
In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Prof. Holger Fröhlich, who leads the AI and Data Science Group at the Fraunhofer Institute and is an honorary professor at the University of Bonn. We explored one of t…