Podcast
Conversations with users around the world about interesting things they are doing with R.
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 30: Sara Altman and Simon Couch
June 11, 2026
Most coding assistants treat data quality as a speed bump. You hand them a messy CSV, they squint at it, and a moment later they've shipped some plausible-looking analysis built on a quietly broken foundation. Posit's new AI agent takes a different stance: it pauses, asks you the awkward questions, and treats the messy bits as the point of the work, not an obstacle to it. That agent is called Posit Assistant, and I sat down with two of the people building it: Sara Altman and Simon Couch. Sara...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 29: Mike Stackhouse
March 13, 2026
In this episode, Mike Stackhouse, Chief Innovation Officer at Atorus Research, shares valuable insights on effectively using AI with R programming, especially in regulated environments like pharmaceuticals and healthcare. Think of AI as a "Very Confident Junior Programmer" Mike's most memorable analogy frames LLMs perfectly: they're like junior developers who are extremely confident but occasionally wrong. Since LLMs fundamentally work with text in and text out, with limited context windows,...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 28: Nick Tierney
July 10, 2025
Our latest R for the Rest of Us podcast episode features Nick Tierney—a statistician, R developer, and consultant whose career journey spans academic research, software engineering, and more. In this episode, we talk about Nick’s journey with R, his influential blog Credibly Curious, and how he built {naniar}—an R package designed to make working with missing data easier. Nick also discusses: Why writing tests for R packages is essential (and easier than you might think) His philosophy on...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 27: Garrick Aden-Buie
June 12, 2025
In Episode 27 of R for the Rest of Us, we sit down with Garrick Aden-Buie, a senior software engineer at Posit (formerly RStudio), to explore his latest project: brand.yml. This innovative tool aims to simplify and unify branding across various data science outputs, including Quarto documents, Shiny apps, and more. Garrick shares the inspiration behind brand.yml, stemming from his experiences in creating custom theming solutions at different organizations. Recognizing the repetitive nature of...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 26: Deepali Kank
May 8, 2025
In this episode of R for the Rest of Us podcast, I chat with Deepali Kank, a talented R user and data visualization expert. Deepali shares her journey from creating static visualizations in ggplot2 to building interactive charts using Observable Plot, a JavaScript-based tool. We dive into her recent projects, explore how Observable makes it easy to add interactivity, and talk about how it compares with tools like Shiny and Quarto dashboards. If you're curious about expanding your data viz...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 25: Robert Smith
March 20, 2025
In this episode, I chat with Robert Smith, a health economist and co-founder of Dark Peak Analytics. Rob shares his unique career path from academia to advising the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he helped shape public health decisions through data modeling. We also discuss his work with Parkrun, a free community running event, and how data science can be used to promote equitable access to fitness. Using R, Rob and his team analyzed participation trends and developed...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 24: Simon Couch
February 27, 2025
In this episode, I chat with Simon Couch, a software engineer at Posit, where he develops open-source statistical software and maintains several R packages. Simon’s work spans AI-powered coding tools that enhance R workflows and improve efficiency. We dive deep into his latest projects: {pal} (renamed to {chores}) – an AI-powered assistant that streamlines code updates and automates tedious R programming tasks. {gander} – an innovative tool that integrates AI into RStudio and Positron,...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 23: Terence Teo
February 6, 2025
In this episode, I chat with Terence Teo, Professor at Seton Hall University and expert in creating stunning 3D maps using the {rayshader} package in R. Terence discusses his journey into data visualization, specifically his use of R and the RayShader package to create mesmerizing 3D maps. Terence shares insights from his academic background in political science, his creative process for making maps, and how he balances artistic flair with technical rigor. The discussion dives into geospatial...
R for the Rest of Us Podcast Episode 22: Alex Gold
December 12, 2024
In this episode, I chat with Alex Gold, who leads solution engineering and support teams at Posit. We talk about his new book ‘DevOps for Data Science’, and explore why DevOps principles are crucial for data scientists, even if you aren't working in hardcore production environments. Alex shares insights on how to think about putting your data science projects into "production"—whether it's a report for colleagues or a full-scale deployment. We discuss practical tips like using {renv} to...