Ben O'Neill

About Ben

Ben loves to take complex business problems and break them down systematically to yield useful insights for decision-makers. He is particularly good at explaining complex problems in simple and actionable terms. Ben aims to use data and rigorous statistical work to deliver insights that can improve decision-making, to make the world a better and more prosperous place.

Ben has managed and delivered a range of projects in education, health, finance, infrastructure, transport, agriculture and environment, mining, workforce planning, behavioural economics, data governance, public policy, quality assurance review, learning and development, and professional service in statistics and data science. He has undertaken extensive academic research and development in statistics and data science and is internationally recognised for his academic work and professional service in statistics and data science.

Key Achievements and Projects:

• Ben has published around fifty scholarly papers in the fields of statistics, mathematics, data science, economics, law, and philosophy. He has also published four computational packages for statistical analysis/data science.
• Ben has invented several useful statistical tests, procedures and algorithms used in applied research. He has also invented/discovered (depending on your perspective) several useful probability distributions used in various statistical problems.
• Ben was project manager for a major data risk assessment and action plan for the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (Australian Government). This review provided the foundation for uplift of data governance in the Department.
• Ben was the research lead and project manager on two major behavioural economics trials involving antimicrobial prescription and opioid prescription for the Department of Health (Australian Government). These trials led to large reductions in overprescription.
• Ben was project manager for a major research project examining economic contributions of iron ore mining in the Pilbara regions (WA). This project included economic modelling of supply disruption scenarios.
• Ben undertook extensive research and statistical support for the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (Australian National University). This included the development of novel methods for the analysis of pooled sampling methods for the analysis of blood samples.
• Ben is internationally recognised for his regular contributions on the online Q&A platforms CrossValidated.SE and Academia.SE.

Ben has enjoyed a hybrid career in academia, consulting and industry. Prior to joining ACIL Allen he held academic positions at the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and undertook extensive consulting roles in government and industry. This hybrid career has allowed Ben to form an excellent symbiosis between theory and practice ─ he brings cutting-edge research insight into his consulting work and uses practical business problems in consulting work to inform his research agenda. Ben has delivered extensive research contributions and delivered significant value in consulting projects for government and industry.

Ben holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in statistics, Master of Economics, Master of Laws, Bachelor of Laws, and Bachelor of Actuarial Studies with Honours, all from the Australian National University.