The R User Conference 2016

The annual useR! conference is the main meeting of the international R user and developer community. Its program consists of both invited and user-contributed presentations.

• The invited keynote lectures cover a broad spectrum of topics ranging from technical and R-related computing issues to general statistical topics of current interest.
• The user-contributed presentations and posters are submitted as abstracts prior to the conference and may be related to (virtually) any R-related topic. The presentations are typically organized in sessions of either broad or special interest, which also comprise a "free" discussion format. Such a discussion format not only provides a forum for software demonstrations and detailed discussions but also supports the self-organization of the respective communities. The duration is between 15 or 20 minutes for the focus and kaleidoscope sessions, and 5 minutes for lightning talks.

This year the conference will be held at the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, CA. The conference is being organized with support from the Department of Statistics, Stanford University and the Stanford Libraries.

The program will cover topics such as

• History of R and computing with data
• Bayesian Statistics
• Bioinformatics
• Economics, Finance and Insurance
• High Performance Computing
• Reproducible Research
• Industrial Applications
• Statistical Learning with Big Data
• Spatial Statistics
• Teaching
• Visualization & Graphics
• and many more.

The year 2016 will be special in at least two ways: it marks the 40th anniversary of the S language (the language underlying R), and is also the year that John Chambers, an inventor of S, turns 75. Holding the conference at Stanford, the epicenter of Silicon Valley, is especially timely given the prominent position of R in the rapidly expanding fields of big data and data science.

Organizing committee

• John Chambers , Stanford University
• Sandrine Dudoit , University of California, Berkeley
• Trevor Hastie , Stanford University
• Susan Holmes , Stanford University
• Simon Jackman , Stanford University
• Olivia Lau, Google Inc.
• Nicholas Lewin-Koh, Genentech Inc.
• Norman Matloff , University of California, Davis
• Jacqueline Meulman , Stanford University
• Balasubramanian Narasimhan (Chair), Stanford University
• Karthik Ram, University of California, Berkeley
• Joseph Rickert, Microsoft Corp.
• Duncan Temple Lang , University of California, Davis

Program committee

• Jenny Bryan , University of British Columbia
• Dianne Cook , Monash University
• Peter Dalgaard , Copenhagen Business School
• Dirk Eddelbuettel , Ketchum Trading
• Susan Holmes , Stanford University
• Torsten Hothorn , University of Zurich
• Julie Josse (Chair), Agrocampus Ouest Rennes
• Patrick Mair , Harvard University
• Jeroen Ooms , University of California, Los Angeles
• Hilary Parker , Stitch Fix
• Hana Ševčíková , University of Washington, Seattle
• Torben Tvedebrink , Aalborg University
• Heather Turner , University of Warwick

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Publishers

Other

Media

^** Conference is full!

Due to overwhelming demand, registration is now closed. We regret that even a wait list is not feasible at this point and it is highly unlikely that any slots will open up at the last minute.

However, we are actively exploring several possibilities including videotaping parts of the conference. Details will be posted as soon as they are available.

We appreciate your interest and thank you for your understanding.

Tutorials are included in the registration!

Keynote abstracts and bios are located here.

The invited speakers include Richard Becker , Donald Knuth , Deborah Nolan , Simon Urbanek , Hadley Wickham and Daniela Witten .

The social program includes a welcome reception as well as a conference banquet on a San Francisco Bay cruise. There is an additional fee of $75 for the conference banquet that can be purchased during registration.

The Banquet Dinner cruise will take place on Hornblower Yachts in San Francisco on Wednesday, June 29 from 5:00pm - 10:30pm. San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the cruise will sail past famed landmarks as the sun sets and the city lights come up. The banquet ticket includes a full buffet dinner, boarding glass of champagne or house wine (cash bar is available onboard for any other drink purchases) and live DJ/music on board. Round trip transportation to/from the conference venue is also included.

The full details are now online.

Where is Stanford?

Silicon Valley

Located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north of San Jose, Stanford University is in the heart of Northern California’s dynamic "Silicon Valley,” home to Yahoo!, Google, Hewlett-Packard, and many other cutting-edge companies that were started by and continue to be led by Stanford alumni and faculty.

The Bay Area

To the west of the University’s 8,180-acre campus are the Santa Cruz Mountains and Pacific Ocean, and to the east San Francisco Bay.  Known as The Peninsula, the area is rich in natural beauty, culture, and entertainment. 

Palo Alto

Although the University is virtually a community unto itself and even has its own zip code—94305—it calls the City of Palo Alto home. Downtown Palo Alto is a short walk from campus and includes many attractions, as well as many shops and restaurants.

Airports

Stanford is roughly equidistant from the San Francisco and San Jose airports.

Major airports

Three major airports serve the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco International (SFO) , San Jose Mineta International (SJC) , and Oakland International (OAK) . We suggest comparing fares to all three airports, as there can be significant differences, even for the same airline.

Choosing airports

Although San Francisco is the largest of the three area airports and offers the most airlines and flights, some visitors find that San Jose’s smaller size makes it a somewhat more convenient alternative, especially for domestic flights.

Please note that the Bay Area lodging costs have skyrocketed in recent years. There's also a limited supply so we urge you to make use of the options below as soon as possible. Since the registration for the conference is independent of lodging, you can book the rooms at any time. However, we advise that you always check the cancellation policy.

Taxes are not included in the room rates quoted below. For your calculations, please assume an occupancy tax of 14% and a California tourism tax of 0.20% per room. A convention and visitors bureau tourism fee of $0.84 will be also be charged per room night. This is the best information we have at the moment and these rates are subject to change without notice.

Campus Dormitory Housing

Stanford has made a limited number of on-campus dormitories available for attendees. A five-night package for useR! 2016 attendees and an eight-night package for both useR! 2016 and Bioconductor 2016 attendees are available (details on booking page). Full now.

Cardinal Hotel

A block of rooms has been reserved from Sunday, June 26th to Friday, July 1st at this hotel located approximately 1 mile from the conference venue. Pricing ranges from $149 + tax for a room with shared bath down the hall, to $269-$289 + tax for rooms with ensuite bath. To reserve, please use this group booking link.

Map of Directions to Conference Venue

Stanford Guest House (SLAC Campus)

Full as of March 8, 2016.

The Stanford Guest House is located on SLAC campus. Stanford’s complimentary Marguerite shuttle system operates between SLAC (with a stop at the entrance to the Guest House) and the Stanford campus, and is available on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., approximately every 20 minutes.

Map of Directions to Conference Venue

Palo Alto Sheraton

A block of rooms has been reserved from Sunday, June 26th to Friday, July 1st. The price per night is $299/night + tax. To book, call the hotel directly at 1-800-325-3535 and reference the group name: "user 2016 conference" to receive the group rate. The link above takes you to a page created specially for the conference. To guarantee a reservation, one must give a credit card number and expiration date. The group rate is valid until June 5th.

Map of Directions to Conference Venue

Palo Alto Hilton Garden Inn

Guestrooms have been reserved from Sunday, June 26th to Friday, July 1st for a rate of $249/night + tax. Online booking instructions: Go to the website and toward the top right, enter the dates and right below hit "more options", then select add "special rate codes". Then enter group code STA626 and proceed by hitting "check rooms and rates".

To make a phone reservation, please call the hotel directly at 650-843-0795 and reference "Stanford University- User 2016 Conference Group" to receive the group rate. The hotel is approximately 3 miles from Stanford Campus and a car or public transportation will be required to get between the hotel and the conference venue. Space is limited and reservations at this group rate will be accepted until June 5th.

Map of Directions to Conference Venue

Creekside Inn

A block of 30 rooms has been reserved at the Creekside Inn for Sunday, June 26 to Friday, July 1. The price per night is $199 + taxes. To reserve, please use this group booking link , or call the hotel directly at 1-800-492-7335 and ask for in-house reservations. You'll need to reference the group name: "User 2016" to receive the group rate. Just two miles away from Stanford University, the Creekside Inn offers a complimentary car service to Stanford upon request. The group rate is valid until May 23.

Map of Directions to Conference Venue

Maple Tree Inn, Sunnyvale

A block of rooms are reserved for the group rate of $179/night + tax from Sunday, June 26th to Friday, July 1st. Book online via the website and enter group code 841 to receive the group rate.

Maple Tree Inn is located 12 miles south of Stanford, between Highway 101 and Interstate 280.

Map of Directions to Conference Venue

The Atherton Park Inn and Suites

Located a few miles north of Stanford, this hotel offers government rates based on availability. Online reservations can be made via the website.

Map of Directions to Conference Venue

Additional Lodging Suggestions

We don't have any arrangements with the hotels listed below. So we suggest you call them directly and ask for further discounts.

• Coronet Motel is close to campus with rates as low as $176/night.

  Map of directions to Conference Venue

• Red Cottage Inn has rooms with 21-day advance purchase for about $201.45/night.

  Map of directions to Conference Venue

• Visit Stanford
• Airbnb Palo Alto

The Bioconductor 2016 conference will also be held at Stanford June 24--26 just prior to the useR! 2016 conference. This offers useRs an opportunity to attend both conferences at the same location seamlessly. Please consult the BioC 2016 site for more details.

The American Statistical Association will offer two grants of $1250 each for young researchers/students. Applicants were first asked to submit an abstract for a conference talk (preferred) or a lightning talk using the usual abstract submission process and then provide a resume along with an extended abstract (up to 6 pages). But now that abstract submission has closed, applications with two PDF attachments (named resume.pdf and abstract.pdf respectively) emailed before March 31 April 4, 2016 to user2016-asagrant AT stat.stanford.edu with the subject ASA grant Application will still be considered on their individual merits by the scientific committee. (Recipients may be be required to present a talk.)

All attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at useR! 2016 are required to agree to the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout and expect cooperation in ensuring a safe environment for all.

The Short Version

The organizers of useR! 2016 and Stanford University are dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone regardless of gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of useR! 2016 participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks, workshops, conference events, Twitter and other online media. useR! 2016 participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the useR! 2016 organizers.

The Long Version

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual and or discriminatory images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Sponsors are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, sponsors should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material. Booth staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualized environment.

Participants engaging in harassing behavior may be sanctioned in any way organizers deem appropriate, including expulsion from the conference without refund and providing details to partner institutions and events.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of useR! 2016 staff immediately. useR! 2016 staff can be readily identified as they will be wearing distinctively colored useR! 2016 t-shirts.

useR! 2016 staff will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of useR! 2016. We value your attendance.

Adapted from http://user2015.math.aau.dk/behaviouR

The Conference Flyer is available as a pdf document