Lily Clements is a Data Scientist and Educator at IDEMS. She brings experience in statistical skills, open-source software development, and creating accessible data education tools for real-world impact.
Lily began her career with a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Reading, before working as an intern with Statistics for Sustainable Development (Stats4SD), a not-for-profit that uses statistics to support sustainable development. There, she began collaborating with IDEMS founders and developed an early interest in how data science could be both technically rigorous and socially meaningful.
She went on to complete an MSc and PhD in Statistics at the University of Southampton. Her PhD focused on multiple imputation methods in survival analysis, and involved extensive simulation-based research in R. Alongside her academic work, she taught undergraduate and master’s students, focusing on making R and statistical thinking more accessible to learners from diverse backgrounds.
Since joining IDEMS full-time, Lily has worked across a wide range of projects at the intersection of data, education, and software. She has contributed to the development of open-source R packages (including carbonR, rapidproR, and openappR), designed user-friendly dialogs in R-Instat, and helped lead the creation of tools that allow Shiny apps to be generated from spreadsheet-based specifications (excelToShiny). She has collaborated on courses in research methods, climate data analysis, and responsible AI, most notably creating a course with The Alan Turing Institute on how biased data leads to biased outcomes. Lily is also a regular contributor to IDEMS podcasts, one of which is featured in the link provided.
Her work is driven by a passion for making data easy: ensuring that people not only have access to powerful tools, but also understand how to use them responsibly. She is particularly focused on data literacy in the age of AI, where misunderstanding data can lead to real harm. Lily continues to explore how open educational tools can be scaled to promote responsible data use at a global level.
What’s the most interesting project or problem you’re working on right now?
The most interesting problem I’m working on right now is how to make data easier — easier to access, to teach, and to understand. With the rise of AI, the risks of misusing data are growing, and many of the biggest issues in AI today stem from basic misunderstandings of data. There are increasing case studies where the misuse of data has caused real harm – from algorithmic bias in criminal justice systems like COMPAS, to large-scale injustices like the Dutch Childcare Scandal.
I’m particularly interested in how we build data literacy at scale, whether through open-source R tools, Moodle courses, or interactive resources like the Millet Game, which highlights how small data errors can lead to major real-world consequences.
What’s most surprising, unexpected or rewarding about working in transdisciplinary collaborations?
What’s most surprising is seeing that I can genuinely add value, even in a room full of experts who deeply understand their domain. I might not be an expert on their problem, but I can bring something important from the data side. It’s incredibly rewarding to contribute meaningfully in that way, and humbling to work alongside such brilliant and passionate people.
Why did/do you choose to work at IDEMS?
I met David and Danny in 2016, and I have worked with them both since – with the only exception being during my Masters (where I did my dissertation with them), and my PhD (where I worked with IDEMS part time). They’ve managed to convince me to do all sorts of tasks, and it was just natural that I join them full time after my PhD since I really enjoy the work that IDEMS do.
IDEMS is a very rewarding place. You get a lot of freedom on what you want to work on. You get challenged a lot which is fun – it’s fun to surprise yourself on what you can do – and those challenges can lead to a lot of growth and new learnings. Your perspective is challenged a lot, and you get to work with and meet incredible people.
Where is home?
Home is Southampton. I enjoy being active – running, climbing, walking, swimming – anything that gets me outdoors. I secretly hope IDEMS will send me to countries with parkruns so I can start ticking them off my list. Family is really important to me, and my dog is a huge part of that – he’s my world and very spoiled, and very energetic so we go out exploring together a lot. He forces me to work on the sofa since he wants to be on my lap, which means he occasionally pops up in meetings. He can make recording podcasts difficult if the postman comes, or just if he sees someone he doesn’t like the look of walking past the window.
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