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Director, Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance

Working with RIDL is amazing. The team are playing a fundamental role in super-charging Griffith’s capabilities to pursuit major new research projects. Combining their data science competencies with research expertise  has helped us deliver to timely and effective solutions for governments, NGOs and the business community. I really like the proactive nature of the team who actively  search for new data opportunities and intimately connected with national and international networks such as the Autralian Research Data Commons. They are also great at putting up with translating research insights into podcasts, infographics and social news postings that have massively raised the profile of the university on issues such as federal elections, climate change and migration. As society as whole continues the process of digital transformation and the adoption of AI, I can see the RIDL work becoming only more critical to achieving the university’s long term research and engagement objectives.

Communcations Director and Economic Adviser, CPD

We want to thank RIDL for their help over the last few months with teaching us how to design a dashboard and get it up and running. As two complete newbies, we have been so grateful for the invaluable guidance from the team. We would definitely not be where we are now without their help!

CEO, Centre for Policy Development

Thank you to the RIDL team, your support was the difference between doing it and not doing it! We are so grateful and certainly the help on data and coding was very much needed.

Research Fellow, Western Sydney University

Transforming early Education And Child Health (TeEACH)

I have been working with Sherena Oxley for the last eighteen months since our initial contact after I attended ChangeFest 2018 in Logan. Shortly after the conference I made contact with Griffith University to enquire about the data collection utilised for the Logan Together initiative. I was introduced to Sherena and, after several emails and zoom discussions with Sherena, I learnt about the Regional Innovation Data Lab (RIDL). After explanations of how RIDL was being used in the Queensland context, and its potential for the New South Wales context, I was very excited by RIDL’s potential for place-based community development work in Sydney. Western Sydney University provided funding support and, along with the support of Griffith University, Sherena and I planned and ran two successful workshops with placed-based organisations in Western Sydney. The workshops participants were drawn from attendees at an Early Years Collaboration symposium in 2018 organised to showcase Western Sydney University research using data in innovative ways. In the workshops, Sherena was able to share some of the work that had been done in Logan Together and explore the potential of engaging RIDL for use in Western Sydney and other areas. We are now engaged in further discussions to explore the potential of RIDL in Western Sydney as a direct result of the workshops and follow up discussions and meetings. Personally, in all interactions Sherena displays a high level of professionalism. She has been very generous with her time and knowledge, and in sharing her learning with the respective groups in Western Sydney and other areas of Sydney. Her trips to Sydney and consequent discussions with staff of place based organisations, university, councils and community development programs has provided a catalyst to our data conversations and proved to be a turning point for many of the place based organisations in understanding how data can be used, realising the potential of data for their organisations and ultimately for a way to further develop and improve services to families and children in their local areas. Presently we are discussing a partnership to determine what data needs to be collected and how to collect it, and the possibility of a trial of the RIDL platform in areas of western Sydney.

RIDL Intern, Griffith University

Bachelor of Computer Science, Masters of IT in Data Analytics

My placement at RIDL has been an incredible learning experience and one I’ll always look back on fondly. From day one, I felt supported and welcomed by a team that truly values collaboration,  curiosity, and meaningful impact.  Working alongside such a diverse and driven team taught me more than I could have imagined. Nicholas, my mentor, played a key role in my growth. I learned so much from him about R, R Shiny, and thinking critically about how data is structured and visualised. Jessica and Derrick were also so generous with their time, always ready to help when I hit a data-cleaning wall or needed a fresh approach. Charlotte and Shiela brought so much warmth and kindness to the everyday, whether it was a helpful chat or sharing a laugh at lunch, they made the experience even more enjoyable. Tom and Rhetta brought a wealth of expertise and insight to the table, and as a junior analyst, it meant a lot to be included in such high-level and thoughtful conversations about the role of data in shaping real change. The whole team is so great at what they do and works so well together, it was empowering to be part of such a respectful, purpose-driven workplace. I’ll carry the skills, confidence, and inspiration I gained at RIDL into every role I take on. More than anything, they helped me understand the bigger picture and why our work really matters.