She has a master's degree in statistics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and started as a PhD candidate at SERAF in 2012.
- I've always been interested in applying statistics to medical issues and when I was tipped off about a PhD position at SERAF I jumped at the opportunity, says Stavseth.
What do we do when data are missing?
The project Longitudinal analyzes of OMT data in Norway wants to identify factors that predict treatment success and drop-out from treatment, so that one can gain better knowledge about what affects OMT treatment in a positive direction.
Stavseth’s doctorate is based on 26,000 questionnaires collected from across the country gathered among patients in OMT in Norway between 2005 and 2012.
- Since my background is in statistics, and not in addiction research, my focus is to analyze these data in the best possible way, explains the PhD candidate.
A major challenge with the data she works with is that many of the questions in these questionnaires are not answered. This is often referred to as "missing data" in statistics.
- How to best deal with such "missing data" is one of the main themes of my research, says Stavseth.
The value of good statistics
Enormous resources are used to collect data in research and more and more data is accumulated. SERAF has several ongoing research projects with large amounts of data collected by our own researchers or obtained from Norwegian registers, like the prescription registry and the registry on Causes of death.
- With all these data available, it is incredibly important to find good ways to utilize all the information contained in these. Without good statistics, the data will lose much of its value, explains the PhD student.
- In ten years’ time I believe we will have an even greater focus on the analysis of large data sets, where the need for good computers and good software will be important.
Wants to find the causes of cancer
Like the statistician she is, Stavseth believes that a good researcher first and foremost should be accurate, and have a desire to find out something.
- If this is in place, you can get far as a scientist.
Her dream is to work with huge data sets in an interdisciplinary research group to solve the great challenges of the medical field, for example to find out the causes of cancer.
Teaching dreams
However, during her time as a student in Trondheim, the PhD candidate doubted her own skills in mathematics.
- For some reason people seem to think it is strange that you can doubt your own abilities in mathematics when taking a PhD in statistics, she says with a smile.
Stavseth is SERAF’s resident statistics expert and willingly teaches her knowledge to her colleagues. Last Easter she was even hired by Norway’s biggest online newspaper VG to teach Norwegians something about winning in Yatzy, a typical family game during the holidays that is played with dices. And she’s not unwilling to teach full time if the opportunity presented itself.
- If I were doing anything else I probably would have been a teacher, says Stavseth.