Matthew Kay
@mjskay.com
Assoc Prof Computer Science and Communication Studies at Northwestern. Infovis, HCI. Author of tidybayes & ggdist R pkgs. he/him. 🏳️🌈 https://mjskay.com/
Co-director https://mucollective.northwestern.edu
Co-founder https://journalovi.org
Co-director https://mucollective.northwestern.edu
Co-founder https://journalovi.org
Pinned
Matthew Kay
@mjskay.com
· Sep 7
I work in #datavis, best known for uncertainty vis: see my work on election forecast vis (forecasts.cs.northwestern.edu), this talk (youtu.be/E1kSnWvqCw0), or my lab (mucollective.northwestern.edu)
I like writing #rstats 📦s: ggdist (mjskay.github.io/ggdist), tidybayes, ggblend, posterior::rvar...
I like writing #rstats 📦s: ggdist (mjskay.github.io/ggdist), tidybayes, ggblend, posterior::rvar...
Reposted by Matthew Kay
January 10, 2026 at 6:08 AM
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Folks doing public opinion research: I wrote an R package called `calibratedMRP` that implements methods to calibrate MRP estimates to known geographic-level ground truth (e.g. election results)
github.com/wpmarble/cal...
github.com/wpmarble/cal...
GitHub - wpmarble/calibratedMRP: An R package with tools to generate small-area estimates from survey and administrative data
An R package with tools to generate small-area estimates from survey and administrative data - wpmarble/calibratedMRP
github.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Folks doing public opinion research: I wrote an R package called `calibratedMRP` that implements methods to calibrate MRP estimates to known geographic-level ground truth (e.g. election results)
github.com/wpmarble/cal...
github.com/wpmarble/cal...
Reposted by Matthew Kay
a few thoughts youtu.be/lERS4kJIQR8
Abolish ICE
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
youtu.be
January 8, 2026 at 1:42 AM
a few thoughts youtu.be/lERS4kJIQR8
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Gee, just fixing something without soliciting bad-faith input from every NIMBY in a three-mile radius. Didn’t know you could do that.
January 6, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Gee, just fixing something without soliciting bad-faith input from every NIMBY in a three-mile radius. Didn’t know you could do that.
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Postdoctoral positions: Our team at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public is accepting applications for up to two postdoc positions, starting in Fall 2026. Priority deadline is Jan 15. If you know someone who might be interested, let them know!
We're currently accepting applications to hire up to two @cip.uw.edu postdoctoral scholars to join our team in Seattle. The priority deadline to apply is January 15, 2026.
For the position description, salary range, qualifications and application process, click here: apply.interfolio.com/177901
For the position description, salary range, qualifications and application process, click here: apply.interfolio.com/177901
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Postdoctoral positions: Our team at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public is accepting applications for up to two postdoc positions, starting in Fall 2026. Priority deadline is Jan 15. If you know someone who might be interested, let them know!
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Please share - @pewresearch.org wants to hire a data archivist who will be an advocate for data users, helping to ensure that our datasets are easy to discover and reuse by researchers, journalists, and the public.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...
January 6, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Please share - @pewresearch.org wants to hire a data archivist who will be an advocate for data users, helping to ensure that our datasets are easy to discover and reuse by researchers, journalists, and the public.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Although its very cold at the moment in the UK, 2025 was both the warmest (with a mean temperature of 10.09°C) and sunniest (1648.5 hours) on record. Here is a climate and weather #dataviz summary for the last year. #climatechange #globalwarming.
January 6, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Although its very cold at the moment in the UK, 2025 was both the warmest (with a mean temperature of 10.09°C) and sunniest (1648.5 hours) on record. Here is a climate and weather #dataviz summary for the last year. #climatechange #globalwarming.
Reposted by Matthew Kay
A request for #rstats help.
Motivated by a real-world problem I'm facing, I wrote a package designed to help new users wean themselves off using rm(list=ls()), and nudge them in the direction of better practice.
I would sincerely appreciate feedback before I send it to CRAN
Motivated by a real-world problem I'm facing, I wrote a package designed to help new users wean themselves off using rm(list=ls()), and nudge them in the direction of better practice.
I would sincerely appreciate feedback before I send it to CRAN
Some thoughts on checking the R session – Notes from a data witch
More precisely, some thoughts on an R package I might send to CRAN, and I’d appreciate comments and criticism
blog.djnavarro.net
January 6, 2026 at 5:23 AM
A request for #rstats help.
Motivated by a real-world problem I'm facing, I wrote a package designed to help new users wean themselves off using rm(list=ls()), and nudge them in the direction of better practice.
I would sincerely appreciate feedback before I send it to CRAN
Motivated by a real-world problem I'm facing, I wrote a package designed to help new users wean themselves off using rm(list=ls()), and nudge them in the direction of better practice.
I would sincerely appreciate feedback before I send it to CRAN
Reposted by Matthew Kay
How likely is ‘likely’? Does ‘likely’ have a higher probability than ‘probable’? I put together a quick quiz so you can see how you interpret probability phrases, then see how you compare with others: probability.kucharski.io
January 3, 2026 at 4:15 PM
How likely is ‘likely’? Does ‘likely’ have a higher probability than ‘probable’? I put together a quick quiz so you can see how you interpret probability phrases, then see how you compare with others: probability.kucharski.io
Reposted by Matthew Kay
The 1.3.0 version of my {brms} + {tidyverse} translation of Kruschke's "Doing Bayesian data analysis" is up!
solomon.quarto.pub/dbda2
#rstats
1/8
solomon.quarto.pub/dbda2
#rstats
1/8
Doing Bayesian Data Analysis in brms and the tidyverse
solomon.quarto.pub
January 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM
The 1.3.0 version of my {brms} + {tidyverse} translation of Kruschke's "Doing Bayesian data analysis" is up!
solomon.quarto.pub/dbda2
#rstats
1/8
solomon.quarto.pub/dbda2
#rstats
1/8
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Twitter really let people go feral out there, ready to smash a stranger over the head with a rock over a swollen can of beans.
Elon spent $44 billion to turn Twitter into a goddamn Cormac McCarthy novel
Elon spent $44 billion to turn Twitter into a goddamn Cormac McCarthy novel
October 19, 2024 at 5:54 AM
Twitter really let people go feral out there, ready to smash a stranger over the head with a rock over a swollen can of beans.
Elon spent $44 billion to turn Twitter into a goddamn Cormac McCarthy novel
Elon spent $44 billion to turn Twitter into a goddamn Cormac McCarthy novel
Reposted by Matthew Kay
via The New Yorker, Ellis Rosen cartoon
December 23, 2025 at 5:31 AM
via The New Yorker, Ellis Rosen cartoon
Reposted by Matthew Kay
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
Reposted by Matthew Kay
When it comes to the national security implications of windmills, the military has of course a long history of rational suspicion and justified aggression.
December 22, 2025 at 3:59 PM
When it comes to the national security implications of windmills, the military has of course a long history of rational suspicion and justified aggression.
Reposted by Matthew Kay
is there a good citation discussing recent Gelman/Vehtari/etc style choices of prior? like what's on the Stan wiki but in the form of an academic paper? github.com/stan-dev/sta...
Prior Choice Recommendations
Stan development repository. The master branch contains the current release. The develop branch contains the latest stable development. See the Developer Process Wiki for details. - stan-dev/stan
github.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:22 AM
is there a good citation discussing recent Gelman/Vehtari/etc style choices of prior? like what's on the Stan wiki but in the form of an academic paper? github.com/stan-dev/sta...
Reposted by Matthew Kay
My tip is to give generously, without expectation. There cannot be a social network if everyone is coming to extract attention without putting as much in it.
So share cool stuff, repost, comment, like, all in the merriest way. 🎄
So share cool stuff, repost, comment, like, all in the merriest way. 🎄
December 19, 2025 at 7:10 PM
My tip is to give generously, without expectation. There cannot be a social network if everyone is coming to extract attention without putting as much in it.
So share cool stuff, repost, comment, like, all in the merriest way. 🎄
So share cool stuff, repost, comment, like, all in the merriest way. 🎄
Reposted by Matthew Kay
My response to anything over the next two weeks
December 18, 2025 at 6:10 PM
My response to anything over the next two weeks
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Interested in a fully-funded #datavis PhD with training?
Applications for our 2nd cohort of PhD students at Diverse-CDT open! We're keen to diversify the sector, encouraging anyone with enthusiasm for using 📊 to make change, even if you've not considered PhD study before:
diverse-cdt.ac.uk
Applications for our 2nd cohort of PhD students at Diverse-CDT open! We're keen to diversify the sector, encouraging anyone with enthusiasm for using 📊 to make change, even if you've not considered PhD study before:
diverse-cdt.ac.uk
December 18, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Interested in a fully-funded #datavis PhD with training?
Applications for our 2nd cohort of PhD students at Diverse-CDT open! We're keen to diversify the sector, encouraging anyone with enthusiasm for using 📊 to make change, even if you've not considered PhD study before:
diverse-cdt.ac.uk
Applications for our 2nd cohort of PhD students at Diverse-CDT open! We're keen to diversify the sector, encouraging anyone with enthusiasm for using 📊 to make change, even if you've not considered PhD study before:
diverse-cdt.ac.uk
Reposted by Matthew Kay
The bear is now one of the renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web
December 15, 2025 at 9:00 PM
The bear is now one of the renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web
Reposted by Matthew Kay
there should be a term for this. over the last 3 years i have seen so many people get negatively polarized by social media into becoming an idiot
The pundit class, the political class… social media has broken so many brains via exactly this mechanism
related to this a lot of people in the pundit class need to learn how to just be annoyed by someone or something without turning it into What’s Wrong With America
December 14, 2025 at 4:22 AM
there should be a term for this. over the last 3 years i have seen so many people get negatively polarized by social media into becoming an idiot
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Everyone needs to stop submitting papers.
Friendly holiday reminder that people rush to submit before the holidays and declined reviews get even worse than usual. And editors want to enjoy holiday time, too. Patience and grace to all (and to all a good night)!
I sent someone a peer review request, and they accepted it within 15 minutes… I could cry. For the last paper I tried to send out, I had to request 14 reviewers to get 2 people to agree, and it took almost 2 months.
December 13, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Everyone needs to stop submitting papers.
This could be very useful for R -> InkScape and R -> Illustrator workflows! #rstats
See the vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
See the vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
December 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM
This could be very useful for R -> InkScape and R -> Illustrator workflows! #rstats
See the vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
See the vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
Reposted by Matthew Kay
Tbh do not understand these "highest recommendation possible", "strongly recommend", etc. options in graduate recommendations. If anything but the top makes your student rejected, what incentive do people have to report truthfully?
December 10, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Tbh do not understand these "highest recommendation possible", "strongly recommend", etc. options in graduate recommendations. If anything but the top makes your student rejected, what incentive do people have to report truthfully?
Reposted by Matthew Kay
The voters are clear. There is absolutely no reason for the Democrats or any group that cares about democracy to capitulate to radical right and their misogyny, racism, transphobia and homophobia
A huge night for Democrats:
—They flip Miami's mayorship.
—They flip a state House district in Georgia that had voted Trump by 13%.
—They keep Albuquerque's mayorship, while the liberal faction flips city council.
—And they get big overperformances (+18 & +22) in 2 Florida specials.
—They flip Miami's mayorship.
—They flip a state House district in Georgia that had voted Trump by 13%.
—They keep Albuquerque's mayorship, while the liberal faction flips city council.
—And they get big overperformances (+18 & +22) in 2 Florida specials.
December 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
The voters are clear. There is absolutely no reason for the Democrats or any group that cares about democracy to capitulate to radical right and their misogyny, racism, transphobia and homophobia