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Jason Ferris

Associate Professor, Senior Biostatistician and Program Leader, The University of Queensland
Associate Professor Jason Ferris, is a research academic at the Centre for Health Services Research and he is the Program Leader for Research and Statistical Services across the Faculty of Medicine. As a research academic he leads the Drug Alcohol Crime Health Research (DACHR). He holds an honorary professorial role at Turning Point, Victoria and he is affiliate academic with the School of Social Science, UQ. Associate Professor Ferris is also the Chief Data Scientist for the Global Drug Survey.

He is involved in a number of key projects: The Overarching Evaluation of the National Support for Child and Youth Mental Health Program (CHYME), the evaluation of ProjectSTOP (a decision-making national database for pharmacists aimed at preventing the use of pseudoephedrine based products as a precursor in the manufacture of methamphetamine), the Queensland evaluation of the Alcohol Fuelled Violence Policy, and a national review of the links between random breath testing and alcohol-related road traffic accidents. Jason has over 15 years of social science and public health research experience. He has a well-established publication record with a strong focus on alcohol and drug research and public health. With a Master degree in biostatistics he has well developed and expansive quantitative methods skills and a broad range of experience in many of the facets of both social science and medical research. In July 2014 his PhD on alcohol epidemiology was conferred.

Previously, as a senior statistician at the Institute for Social Science Research he developed and taught a number of training models in research methods and statistical analysis as part of the Methods for Social Analysis and Statistics (MFSAS). Since its inception in 2012 he has been course coordinator and trainer for numerous training modules. In 2016 he became the Director of MFSAS. Between 2016-2017 he was also the ISSR Co-postgraduate Coordinator.

In September, 2015, A/Prof Ferris received the University of Queensland, Early Career Researcher Award within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science. In September, 2014, Dr Ferris received a highly commended Early Career Researcher Award within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science.

Queenslanders are among our heaviest drinkers on nights out, and changing that culture is a challenge

Aug 15, 2019 17:57 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

This is the second in a series of articles discussing a recently released comprehensive evaluation of the Queensland governments 2016 policy reforms to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence and the implications for liquor...

Tighter alcohol licensing hasn't killed live music, but it's harder for emerging artists

Aug 15, 2019 17:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views

This is the fourth in a series of articles discussing a recently released comprehensive evaluation of the Queensland governments 2016 policy reforms to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence and the implications for liquor...

Lessons from Queensland on alcohol, violence and the night-time economy

Aug 12, 2019 06:22 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

This is the first in a series of articles on a recently released comprehensive evaluation of the Queensland governments 2016 policy reforms to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence and the implications for alcohol regulation and...

The profile of festival drug takers might be different to what you expect

Jul 18, 2019 23:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

A NSW Coronial Inquest investigating a series of drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals has heard evidence of festival goers taking multiple concurrent doses of MDMA to avoid police detection and not receiving...

Economy

China Exports Beat July Forecasts as AI Demand Fuels High-Tech Trade

Chinas exports posted stronger-than-expected growth in July, supported by booming global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and a rush to ship goods before higher U.S. tariffs took effect. Exports increased...

US Dollar Gains as Iran Tensions, Fed Rate Hike Bets Rise

The U.S. dollar headed for a weekly gain against major currencies on Friday as uncertainty over an Iran peace agreement boosted demand for safe-haven assets, while rising Treasury yields and expectations of tighter Federal...

BOJ Rate Hike Expectations Rise Ahead of September Meeting

Bank of Japan policymakers are preparing a series of closely watched speeches ahead of the BOJs September 17-18 policy meeting, as expectations grow that the central bank will deliver another interest rate hike. BOJ board...

Asian Stocks Mixed as Chip Selloff Hits KOSPI, Nikkei Ahead of US Jobs Data

Asian stocks traded mixed on Friday as renewed weakness in semiconductor shares weighed on South Korean and Japanese markets, while investors awaited the closely watched U.S. July nonfarm payrolls report for fresh clues on...

China Trade Surplus Beats Forecasts in July as Exports Stay Strong

Chinas trade surplus exceeded market expectations in July as exports remained resilient, although faster import growth and softer export momentum pushed the surplus lower compared with the previous month. Official...

Politics

Bezalel Smotrich Faces Election Battle as Israel’s Far-Right Vote Fractures

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is facing a difficult political battle ahead of Israels October 27 election after his position on ultra-Orthodox military exemptions angered some of his traditional supporters in...

Trump Administration Weighs Executive Order on Vaccines and Autism Research

The Trump administration is considering an executive order focused on vaccines and autism research that could be announced as early as next week, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing people familiar with the discussions....

New Zealand MMP Electoral System Faces Fresh Referendum Debate

New Zealands mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system is back in the spotlight after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was open to holding a referendum on how the country elects its parliament. The proposal...

Trump Faces Tough Choices as Iran War Drags On

U.S. President Donald Trump is facing increasingly difficult choices as the Iran war enters its sixth month, with diplomacy and the threat of renewed military action offering uncertain paths toward ending the conflict....

US Expands Social Media Vetting to Foreign Journalists Seeking Visas

The U.S. State Department is reportedly expanding social media vetting for visa applicants to include foreign journalists seeking permission to work in the United States, marking another expansion of the Trump...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Meta Ordered to Pay $567M Over Child Safety Violations in New Mexico

Meta Platforms Inc. has been ordered to pay $567 million into a fund designed to address harm to young people, in a major legal ruling involving child safety on Facebook and Instagram. Judge Bryan Biedscheid of New Mexicos...

Nintendo Shares Jump as Switch 2 Sales Boost Earnings

Nintendo shares surged nearly 5% on Friday after the Japanese gaming giant reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings and upgraded its full-year financial outlook, supported by robust demand for the new Switch...

Cloudflare Stock Jumps 15% as Earnings Beat Estimates, 2026 Outlook Raised

Cloudflare shares surged in after-hours trading Thursday after the cloud connectivity and cybersecurity company delivered stronger-than-expected quarterly results, issued upbeat third-quarter guidance and raised its...

SoftBank Q1 Profit Beats Forecast as Intel Rally and OpenAI Investments Boost Returns

SoftBank Group (TYO: 9984) reported a stronger-than-expected fiscal first-quarter profit despite higher operating and financing costs, supported by massive investment gains from Intel and its Vision Fund portfolio. For the...

DeepSeek to Raise AI API Prices as Demand for New Models Surges

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has announced plans to significantly increase the pricing of its API services as demand for its latest AI models continues to grow. The company revealed the upcoming change...