Meet the local ESRA Committee

A day in the life of Camilla Salvatore

Ciao! I’m Camilla, Assistant Professor in Survey Statistics in the department of Methodology and Statistics at Utrecht University. Today is a special day: I’m presenting my research at the VVSOR annual meeting (Dutch Society for Statistics and Operational Research). My talk focuses on integrating probability and nonprobability samples using a Bayesian approach. The theme of the annual meeting is about the future of statistics and I believe it lies in data integration, where we combine different sources to get better insights.

Before heading to the conference in the afternoon, I have a meeting with the Bachelor’s student I am supervising. Her thesis focuses on understanding youth and adolescent nonresponse in surveys. I’m really looking forward to ESRA, where this and many other topics will be discussed.

One thing I love about the Netherlands is that you can cycle everywhere, so I go to work op de fiets (by bike). Every morning, I cycle through Wilhelminapark, one of the most beautiful parks in Utrecht. In the summer, the park is full of people enjoying the sun, playing sports, or simply relaxing with a book.

Wilhelmina park

After my meeting, I quickly cycle to the conference venue, In De Driehoek. It’s about a five-minute walk from the ESRA conference dinner location, in a lovely street along the canal. The talks are amazing, covering topics like teaching statistics, causal inference, machine learning, and the future of statistics and AI.

Camilla presenting her work at the VVSOR annual meeting, In De Driehoek

After a full day of talks and great discussions, I go back home. It is still sunny and warm: the perfect day for an ice cream! So, of course, I stop by Roberto Gelato, in the Wittewrouwen neighborhood. It is one of the best ice cream shops in Utrecht. After all, I’m Italian and a gelato lover! What’s the best way to end a day like this?

Roberto Gelato: one of the BEST Italian ice cream in Utrecht