Posit::conf(2025)

Who are ’the ggplot2 extenders’ and how to become one (Gina Reynolds) | posit::conf(2025)

Who are ’the ggplot2 extenders’ and how to become one

Speaker(s): Evangeline ‘Gina’ Reynolds

Abstract:

The ggplot2 extension ecosystem is large and robust. Still, even for the most competent ggplot2 users, jumping into writing extensions may not feel straightforward. But the extension-interested should know, it is a great time to get into extension. New efforts exist to support and connect extenders! This talk will discuss some new getting-started resources for extenders and will highlight the ggplot2 extenders meetup and discussions.

From messy to meaningful data: LLM-powered classification in R (Dylan Pieper) | posit::conf(2025)

From messy to meaningful data: LLM-powered classification in R

Speaker(s): Dylan Pieper

Abstract:

Transform messy, unstructured data into meaningful, structured data using ellmer, Posit’s R package for interacting with large language models (LLMs). LLMs can quickly convert thousands of texts, PDFs, and images into the data you need for your analysis. This talk demonstrates the practical benefits and addresses the common pitfalls of using LLMs through three examples: classifying images of Iris flowers and text descriptions of disease symptoms and crimes. Learn structured outputs, prompting strategies, model accuracy and confidence measurements, and validation techniques that blend generative AI with traditional ML concepts. Perfect for both AI-curious beginners and experienced data scientists.

Deploy with Confidence: Strategies to Maximize Success (on Posit Connect) (Ryszard Szymański)

Deploy with Confidence: Strategies to Minimize Failure and Maximize Success (on Posit Connect)

Speaker(s): Ryszard Szymański

Abstract:

Release day has arrived - you’re eager to share the latest version of your app with users. You deploy it, ready to celebrate… Then everything breaks. The app won’t load, and the errors make no sense. Despite all your efforts - testing locally, verifying in staging - production still surprises you. Deployments are tricky, full of hidden challenges that can derail even the best preparations. But with the right strategies, you can reduce risk and increase the likelihood of a successful release In this talk, we’ll explore deployment techniques such as blue/green deployments and feature flags, showing how they can be applied when working with Posit Connect. You’ll also learn what to do when the unexpected happens.

Building Web Apps and APIs in R with Ambiorix (Kennedy Mwavu & John Coene) | posit::conf(2025)

Building Web Apps and APIs in R with Ambiorix

Speaker(s): Kennedy Mwavu & John Coene

Abstract:

Ambiorix reimagines web development in R, offering a flexible, autonomy-driven alternative. It gives developers full control over the request-response cycle, while providing essential web features like routing and middleware out of the box—ideal for developing large web applications and APIs. This talk will cover what sets Ambiorix apart, its key advantages for developers, and how it streamlines building web products & services in R. Whether you’re an R developer looking to build web apps with more flexibility, or exploring new tools for APIs, this session will show you why Ambiorix is worth considering.

Zero Tolerance for Dirty Data: A Pointblank Prescription for Data Hygiene (Arnav Patel, Synovus)

Zero Tolerance for Dirty Data: A Pointblank Prescription for Data Hygiene

Speaker(s): Arnav Patel

Abstract:

When R Met Python: A Meet Cute on Posit Connect (Blake Abbenante, Suffolk Construction)

When R Met Python: A Meet Cute on Posit Connect

Speaker(s): Blake Abbenante

Abstract:

What R We Counting? (Ben Arancibia, GSK) | posit::conf(2025)

What R We Counting?

Speaker(s): Ben Arancibia

Abstract:

Using paired programming to have fun & sell your solutions (Kris Fabick & Kristin Carr)

Self-sufficient deployment: using pair programming to have fun and sell your solutions

Speaker(s): Kris Fabick; Kristin Carr

Abstract:

Are you on a business team lacking resources to get data science projects actually deployed for your non-technical end users? Join us on a case study journey involving Posit Connect, Vetiver, and Streamlit. We will discuss how to successfully deploy “department-level”, bilingual data science solutions quickly enough to solve problems before they become obsolete by focusing on how to harness the power of pair programming. Come see how to make your work life simpler, more fulfilling, and more fun!

Uncharted Nuuk: Data Exploration in Search of the Unexpected (Emil Malta, Statistics Greenland)

Uncharted Nuuk: Data Exploration in Search of the Unexpected

Speaker(s): Emil Malta

Abstract:

Trustworthy Data Visualization (Kieran Healy, Duke University) | posit::conf(2025)

Trustworthy Data Visualization

Speaker(s): Kieran Healy

Abstract:

Visualizations are the most widespread, the most immediately accessible, and in some ways the most authoritative-looking way to present results to audiences, including when the audience is just yourself. In this talk I ask: what makes a visualization trustworthy? How do tools like R and ggplot to help us achieve that goal? And what are their limits, especially now that it’s easier than it has ever been to do untrustworthy things with data?

Translating R for Data Science into Portuguese: A Community-Led Initiative (Beatriz Milz, UFABC)

Translating R for Data Science into Portuguese: A Community-Led Initiative

Speaker(s): Beatriz Milz

Abstract:

How can open-source collaboration help make data science more accessible and expand Posit’s global impact? The book “R for Data Science” by Hadley Wickham, Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, and Garrett Grolemund is a key resource for learning R and the tidyverse. In a collaborative effort, volunteers from the R community translated the second edition into Brazilian Portuguese, making it freely available online. This talk explores the translation journey, the challenges of adapting technical content, and key lessons learned to support future translation teams.

Theming Made Easy: Introducing brand.yml (Garrick Aden-Buie, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Theming Made Easy: Introducing brand.yml

Speaker(s): Garrick Aden-Buie

Abstract:

brand.yml is an exciting new project from Posit that radically simplifies theming. Every data science tool supports some form of theme and appearance customization, but each app framework, output format, or visualization tool requires its own special syntax for theming.

The goal of brand.yml is to create a portable and unified interface for brand-related theming that can be used anywhere that data science artifacts are produced. As a collaboration between the Shiny and Quarto teams, brand.yml provides a single interface to setting baseline themes in reports and apps across the R and Python ecosystems.

In this talk, I’ll introduce brand.yml and showcase the many ways that brand.yml can bring consistent styles to your data science outputs.

The Psychology of Technologists (Cat Hicks, Catharsis Consulting) | posit::conf(2025)

The Psychology of Technologists

Speaker(s): Cat Hicks

Abstract:

Technology teams are struggling to be heard. Technologists are grappling with high turnover, high burnout, and low resilience in the face of rapidly-accelerating technological change. Even though effective technical teams are an essential part of our world continuing to work, many organizations struggle to understand their technical teams, stuck in old stereotypes that treat technical people like isolated machines. To build a thriving future, we need a new way of working together and understanding our own minds as we build technology. In my empirical research across thousands of developers, technical managers and their teams, we’ve explored what a psychologically-rich environment looks like for modern technologists and found important signals that can guide teams toward greater resilience, innovation, and thriving. In this keynote we’ll unlock access to the psychological sciences and evidence that you can use to make your every day more human.

Links:

The Power of Snowflake and Posit Workbench (Jonathan Regenstein, Snowflake) | posit::conf(2025)

The Power of Snowflake and Posit Workbench: Macroeconomic Data Exploration in the Cloud

Speaker(s): Jonathan Regenstein

Abstract:

In this talk, we will utilize the Posit Workbench Native App to demonstrate how macroeconomic research can be run in the Snowflake cloud, powered by R & RStudio.

Talk data to me: How to present youR data to any audience (Freda Warner, CIHR) | posit::conf(2025)

Talk data to me: How to present youR data to any audience

Speaker(s): Freda Warner

Abstract:

See if talking to the doctor is right for you (Max Hockstein, Georgetown) | posit::conf(2025)

See if talking to the doctor is right for you.

Speaker(s): Max Hockstein

Abstract:

Same Data, Different Tools: Visualizing with R and Python (Olivia Hebner, Summit)

Same Data, Different Tools: Visualizing with R and Python

Speaker(s): Olivia Hebner

Abstract:

In 2024, our team participated in a data challenge to recreate a visualization from W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1900 Paris Exposition using modern tools. We split into two groups—one using R and the other Python—to compare their strengths and limitations. Both teams used census and geographic data to map county-level populations for 1870 and 1880. Team R used ggplot2 and grid for precise layout control, while Team Python used matplotlib’s subplot system for structuring. This challenge pushed us beyond more traditional data science visualizations, requiring creative approaches to mimic Du Bois’s design. Attendees will gain insights into data wrangling, visualization techniques, and layout design to guide their own projects.

Running a polyglot data science community (Melissa Van Bussel, StatCan) | posit::conf(2025)

Running a polyglot data science community

Speaker(s): Melissa Van Bussel

Abstract:

rOpenSci Champions: Building Communities of Open-Source Leaders (Noam Ross, rOpenSci)

rOpenSci Champions: Building Communities of Open-Source Leaders

Speaker(s): Noam Ross

Abstract:

Ripples of Change with R- It’s more than just coding (Yvonne Kienast, CIHI) | posit::conf(2025)

Ripples of Change with R: It’s more than just coding

Speaker(s): Yvonne Kienast

Abstract:

R-multiverse: a new way to publish R packages (Will Landau, Eli Lilly) | posit::conf(2025)

R-multiverse: a new way to publish R packages

Speaker(s): Will Landau

Abstract:

R-multiverse is a new dual repository for R packages, based on infrastructure from R-universe and GitHub. We would like to invite the developer community to contribute packages.

With R-multiverse, users have a central place for installing packages. Automated quarterly production snapshots enforce quality.

Package maintainers retain most of the freedom and flexibility of self-publishing. Maintainers directly control package releases through GitHub or GitLab.

R & Python playing nice, in Production (Claudia Penaloza, Continental Tires) | posit::conf(2025)

R & Python playing nice, in production

Speaker(s): Claudia Penaloza

Abstract:

Quarto for Business Collaboration & Technical Documentation in Word docx format (Bill Pikounis, J&J)

Quarto for Business Collaboration and Technical Documentation in Word docx format

Speaker(s): Bill Pikounis

Abstract:

Microsoft Word documents have remained a critical channel of statistical evidence and influence for the manufacturing of a safe and effective supply of therapies to treat diseases. The incorporation of statistical content – narratives, graphs, and tables – into health authority dossiers worldwide requires speed in terms of days and sometimes hours to generate statistical source content for decision-making and official documentation.

Putting an {ellmer} AI in production with the blessing of IT (Andrie de Vries) | posit::conf(2025)

Putting an {ellmer} AI in production with the blessing of IT

Speaker(s): Andrie de Vries

Abstract: I had an idea to automate a process by letting an AI extract information from PDF attachments. Writing the 20 lines of {ellmer} code was very simple. My users loved the idea. But IT had different feelings, especially initially. It took multiple design changes to get IT comfortable with running experiments in our financial system. They need a solution that is secure, with guardrails, wouldn’t leak sensitive information and could be easily maintained. We wrote a simple browser extension to reduce the friction of copy/paste between different systems. If you want to put an AI in production, make sure you consider the impact on other teams, in particular IT and Information security.

Purrrfectly parallel, purrrfectly distributed (Charlie Gao, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Purrrfectly parallel, purrrfectly distributed

Speaker(s): Charlie Gao

Abstract:

purrr is a powerful functional programming toolkit that has long been a cornerstone of the tidyverse. In 2025, it receives a modernization that means you can use it to harness the power of all computing cores on your machine, dramatically speeding up map operations.

More excitingly, it opens up the doors to distributed computing. Through the mirai framework used by purrr, this is made embarrassingly simple. For those in small businesses, or even large ones – every case where there is a spare server in your network, you can now put to good use in simple, straightforward steps.

Let us show you how distributed computing is no longer the preserve of those with access to high performance compute clusters.

Precision Medicine for All: Using Tidymodels to Validate PRS in Brazil (Flávia Rius) | posit::conf

Precision Medicine for All: Using Tidymodels to Validate Breast Cancer PRS in Brazil

Speaker(s): Flávia E. Rius

Abstract:

Practical {renv} (Shannon Pileggi, The PCCTC) | posit::conf(2025)

Talk title: Practical {renv}

Speaker(s): Shannon Pileggi

Abstract:

The {renv} package aims to help users create reproducible environments for R projects. In theory, this is great! In practice, restoring a package environment can be a frustrating process due to overlooked R configuration requirements. Join me to better understand the source of environment restoration issues and learn strategies for successful maintenance of {renv}-backed projects.

Positron: The First Five Minutes (Isabella Velásquez, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Isabella Velásquez from the developer relations team at Posit introduces Positron, a comprehensive tool that integrates coding, documentation, and command line functionalities.

Positron AI Session (George Stagg, Winston Chang, Tomasz Kalinowski , Carson Sievert) | posit::conf

George Stagg, Winston Chang, and Tomasz Kalinowski introduce AI capabilities in Positron, including Positron Assistant, a tool still in preview that enhances coding and data analysis.

0:00 Introduction to Posit’s approach to AI 0:23 George Stagg: Positron Assistant 11:03 Winston Chang: Databot 21:30 Tomasz Kalinowski: ragnar 31:13 Carson Sievert: chatlas 41:42 Q&A

Posit and the modern data stack: Using Posit, Snowflake, and Databricks (James Blair)

James Blair, a senior product manager at Posit, discusses the integration of Posit tools with partners like Snowflake and Databricks, emphasizing the role of AI in enhancing data scientists’ efficiency.

Polyglot Data Science: Why and How to Combine R and Python (Jeroen Janssens) | posit::conf(2025)

Polyglot Data Science: Why and How to Combine R and Python

Speaker(s): Jeroen Janssens

Abstract:

Plotgardener Genomic Data Visualization Made Easy (Rishabh Sharma Vemuri & Abiye Berhanu)

Multiple Console Sessions in Positron (Dhruvi Sompura, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Multiple Console Sessions in Positron Speaker(s): Dhruvi Sompura

Abstract: When it comes to everyday data science work, having access to one interactive R or Python session is often just not enough to get meaningful work done. Having access to multiple interactive sessions has proven useful across a wide variety of data science IDEs, and it has recently become available in Positron! In this talk, learn why data science practitioners need to be able to fluently access more than one interactive session, the specifics of when you might reach for an additional console session to solve a problem, and how to manage multiple console sessions in Positron.

Making the most of artificial and human intelligence for data science (Hadley Wickham, Joe Cheng)

Making the most of artificial and human intelligence for data science

Speaker(s): Hadley Wickham; Joe Cheng

Abstract:

Making Ecological Modelling Accesible with EcoCommons (Jenna Wraith, QCIF) | posit::conf(2025)

Breaking Barriers: Making Ecological Modelling Accessible with EcoCommons

Speaker(s): Jenna Wraith

Abstract:

Would koalas prefer to live on the East Coast or West Coast of the US?

Make Big Geospatial Data Accessible with Arrow (Cari Gostic, Sonoma Technology) | posit::conf(2025)

Make Big Geospatial Data Accessible with Arrow

Abstract: Firelytics is a methodology that computes sub-daily wildfire growth metrics for over 22,000 wildfires that burned in California since 2012. The Firelytics dataset is used in studies funded by NOAA and NASA to better understand wildfire behavior and health implications of wildfire smoke. The accompanying Firelytics Dashboard lets a user map the sub-daily timeseries of fire progression for any wildfire in the dataset. Firelytics is a novel tool for historical fire analysis in California which will help to better predict and plan for future wildfires. Sfarrow, the spatial extension of the Arrow package, facilitates the real-time querying of big spatial data that is necessary to share the Firelytics dataset in this accessible, visual format.

maidr: Empowering Accessible, Multimodal Data Visualizations (JooYoung Seo) | posit::conf(2025)

maidr: Empowering Accessible, Multimodal Data Visualizations

Speaker(s): JooYoung Seo

Abstract:

maidr is a Python package that transforms visualizations into accessible multimodal representations. Designed for both blind/low-vision and sighted users, it integrates with libraries like matplotlib and seaborn and supports interactive environments such as Quarto, Jupyter Notebooks, Google Colab, Streamlit, and Shiny. With a simple function call, maidr synchronizes visual, tactile (Braille), textual, audible (sonification), and conversational outputs, enabling reproducible, inclusive workflows. By creating, modifying and sharing accessible visualizations, maidr fosters collaborative insights by bridging the gap between blind/low-vision and sighted users, empowering inclusive, data-driven decision-making that leverages diverse perspectives.

It’s all fun and games til your analysis code is finished (Alex Rossell Hayes) | posit::conf(2025)

It’s all fun and games til your analysis code is finished: the player package in R Speaker(s): Alex Rossell Hayes

Abstract: The player package is a set of games built entirely in R that you can play in the R console. This lighthearted, humor-filled talk will introduce the package and demo some of its games, including opportunities for audience participation. If selected for a full talk, this will also include a demonstration of how the package code comes together, including approachable introductions to concepts like object-oriented programming with R6 and message handling with cli. The talk will show how playing around with R can be one of the best ways to learn new techniques (some of which can even be carried over into more serious programming).

Integrating AI, Data Science Platforms, and Psychological Safety (Chris Engelhardt, Gen Re)

From Framework to Function: Integrating AI, Data Science Platforms, and Psychological Safety

Speaker(s): Chris Engelhardt

Abstract:

How I got unstuck with Python (Julia Silge, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

How I got unstuck with Python

Speaker(s): Julia Silge

Abstract:

Python as a language is known for being explicit, simple, readable, and beautiful. At the same time, the tooling around using and writing this language has not always made people feel productive and delighted. I know this has been true for me! In this talk, learn about recent improvements in tooling for Python that have finally addressed my own persistent challenges. Posit’s new IDE, Positron, provides a next generation environment for Python data practice, and this new IDE plays nicely with modern language tooling from the Python community. Whether you are Python curious or looking for ways to improve your Python workflows, hear about how I finally got myself unstuck with the most popular programming language in the world.

History repeats itself: What the Du Bois Challenge taught me about reproducing design (Simi Ndaba)

History repeats itself: What the Du Bois Challenge taught me about reproducing visualisations

Speaker(s): Simisani Ndaba

Abstract:

Hacking Productivity with LLMs (Nic Crane, NC Data Labs) | posit::conf(2025)

Hacking Productivity with LLMs: What Works (and What Doesn’t)

Speaker(s): Nic Crane

Abstract:

Over the past 18 months, I’ve used large language models (LLMs) in a series of experiments to improve my productivity as a developer on open source projects in R. I wanted to see if these tools could help with the repetitive, frustrating, or time-consuming parts of development, freeing me up to focus on the interesting problems. The results were mixed: some of these experiments were wildly successful, but others were clear failures.

From SDKs to Agents: Building with R and Python on Databricks (Rafi Kurlansik & Zac Davies)

From SDKs to Agents: Building with R and Python on Databricks

Speaker(s): Zac Davies; Rafi Kurlansik

Abstract:

Databricks offers a rich ecosystem of packages for R and Python developers. This session explores the key tools available—like {ellmer}, {brickster}, and the Databricks SDKs—helping developers build scalable workflows and AI-powered applications. Whether you’re working in R or Python, you’ll learn how to integrate your IDE, leverage Databricks-hosted LLMs, and build agentic workflows. We’ll cover practical implementations, best practices, and how to scale your projects using Databricks’ robust infrastructure. Whether you’re automating workflows or deploying AI-driven solutions, this talk provides the essential toolkit for success.

From Data to Dollars: Improving Medical Billing Accuracy Using NLP (Julianne Gent, Emory Healthcare)

Protecting our Healthcare Heroes: Using Natural Language Processing to Prevent Billing Mistakes in Healthcare

Speaker(s): Julianne Gent

Abstract:

Failure (and Mistakes) (Laura Gast, USO) | posit::conf(2025)

Failure (and Mistakes)

Speaker(s): Laura Gast

Abstract:

Extending the horizons of R with Rust (Andrés Quintero, ixpantia) | posit::conf(2025)

Extending the horizons of R with Rust

Speaker(s): Andrés Quintero

Abstract:

Elevating Public Health Decision-Making with R Packages (Kylie Ainslie, RIVM) | posit::conf(2025)

Elevating Public Health Decision-Making with R Packages

Speaker(s): Kylie Ainslie

Abstract:

Election Night Reporting Using R & Quarto (Andrew Heiss & Gabe Osterhout) | posit::conf(2025)

Election Night Reporting Using R & Quarto

Speaker(s): Gabe Osterhout; Andrew Heiss

Abstract:

Election night reporting (ENR) is often clunky, outdated, and overpriced. The Idaho Secretary of State’s office leveraged R and Quarto to create a better ENR product for the end user while driving down costs using the open-source software we all know and love. With help from Dr. Andrew Heiss, R was used in every step of the process—from {dbplyr} backend to visualizing the results using {reactable} tables and {leaflet} maps, combining the output into a visually appealing Quarto website. Quarto was the ideal solution due to its scalability, quick deployment, responsive design, and easy navigation. In addition, Dr. Heiss will discuss the advantages of using a {targets} pipeline and creating programmatic code chunks in Quarto.

Disposable Shiny Apps (James Wade, Dow) | posit::conf(2025)

Disposable Shiny Apps

Speaker(s): James Wade

Abstract:

Many data scientists find themselves building Shiny apps for one-off presentations, client meetings, or teaching demonstrations. These “disposable” apps can suffer from overengineering, leading to unnecessary development time and complexity. Or, the apps never get built because the development hill is too high to climb. This talk covers disposable Shiny apps - intentionally minimal applications designed for specific, short-term needs. We’ll explore strategies for rapid development, including reusable templates, coding assistants, efficient styling, and design principles that prioritize speed and clarity. This talk will show how this approach can transform a typical week-long development process into a few hours while maintaining polish.

Demystifying MLOps with Vetiver (Myles Mitchell, Jumping Rivers) | posit::conf(2025)

Demystifying MLOps with Vetiver

Speaker(s): Myles Mitchell

Abstract:

Data-as-a-product: A framework for collaborative data wrangling (Clara Amorosi, BMS) | posit::conf

Data-as-a-product: A framework for collaborative data wrangling

Speaker(s): Clara Amorosi

Abstract:

Data preparation requires substantial time and subject matter expertise but is often tailored to a single-use deadline rather than encouraging reusable workflows across a team. We developed a framework that acknowledges the time and expertise invested in data preparation and maximizes its value. Our data-as-a-product suite of R packages promotes joint code and data version control, standardizes metadata capture, tracks R package versioning, and encourages best practices such as adherence to functional programming. I’m excited to share my experience onboarding collaborators to this reproducible research framework, highlighting key challenges and lessons learned from advocating for good development practices in a dynamic research environment.

Data 911: how Posit can support decision-makers in times of environmental crisis (Marcus Beck)

Data 911: how Posit can support decision-makers in times of environmental crisis

Speaker(s): Marcus Beck

Abstract:

Championing modern science workflows to benefit dairy farmers (Mark Neal, DairyNZ)

Championing modern science workflows to benefit dairy farmers

Speaker(s): Mark Neal

Abstract:

Can I trust that package? (Colin S Gillespie, Jumping Rivers) | posit::conf(2025)

Can I trust that package?

Speaker(s): Colin S Gillespie

Abstract:

We often forget, surrounded by hex stickers and bad R package puns, that not everyone is as trustworthy as us. This, I suppose, means that when IT asks, “Is this package valid, secure, and trustworthy?” it’s not that unreasonable a question. But this throws up multiple issues. There are thousands of R packages on CRAN, and that doesn’t include the R-universe, Bioconductor, and GitHub. Packages are updated all the time, so how do we keep up? More to the point what does valid, secure and trustworthy even mean?

Building Multilingual Data Science Teams (Michael Thomas, Ketchbrook Analytics) | posit::conf(2025)

Building Multilingual Data Science Teams

Speaker(s): Michael Thomas

Abstract:

Building Agentic AI applications with Positron and AWS Strands Agents (Greg Headley & Shun Mao, AWS)

In this video, Greg Headley and Shun Mao introduce developers to AWS tools designed to support the creation of agentic AI applications.

Building a Real-Time COVID-19 Surveillance System with R (Hugo Fitipaldi, Lund University)

Building a Real-Time COVID-19 Surveillance System with R: Lessons from the COVID Symptom Study Sweden

Speaker(s): Hugo Fitipaldi

Abstract:

Bold indicates negative? (Luis D. Verde Arregoitia, Instituto De Ecología, A.c.) | posit::conf(2025)

Bold indicates negative?

Speaker(s): Luis D. Verde Arregoitia

Abstract:

Over one billion people worldwide use spreadsheets to manage and analyse data, often styling cells and their contents to highlight or distinguish values. This formatting is often used to encode additional data (for example, indicating groups with colors) but most data science tools are unaware of data expressed as formatting. This talk summarizes my progress addressing the gap between formatted spreadsheets and the modern data stack. First, by championing data organization best practices, then by bringing spreadsheet contents and their formatting together into R for further analyses (unheadr package), and finally how translating format to data helped me develop tools (forgts package) for converting formatted spreadsheets to gt objects.

Automating for Consistency (Kristin Mussar, Pfizer) | posit::conf(2025)

Automating for Consistency

Speaker(s): Kristin Mussar

Abstract:

AI missteps as stepping stones (Ryan Timpe, The LEGO Group) | posit::conf(2025)

AI missteps as stepping stones: Opportunities gained when your LLM coding assistant gets it wrong

Speaker(s): Ryan Timpe

Abstract:

LLM coding assistants have become a valuable companion for learning and productivity in data science. (Hey Siri! Import this csv!) While their ability to generate code and explanations is impressive, I have found more value and personal growth from the mistakes they make.

Advancing Epigenetic Predictors with Scalable Machine Learning (Varun Dwaraka) | posit::conf(2025)

Advancing Epigenetic Predictors with Scalable Machine Learning: A Biologist’s Perspective on Efficient Model Development

Speaker(s): Varun Dwaraka

Abstract:

A tale of one organization: learning how to swim in the ocean of open source (Katerina Gapanenko)

A tale of one organization: learning how to swim in the ocean of open source

Speaker(s): Katerina Gapanenko

Abstract:

What we’re doing to make Quarto fast(er) (Carlos Scheidegger, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

What we’re doing to make Quarto fast(er) Speaker(s): Carlos Scheidegger

Abstract: Quarto is a powerful system, but its performance leaves much to be desired. In this talk, I’ll go through the things that make Quarto slow, and I will describe the journey I’m taking in 2025 to fix the issues. This is going to be a deeper technical talk on performance analysis, profiling, and will include discussing the custom tooling we’ve had to build to measure performance in a system as complex as Quarto.

Web applications with Shiny and React and AI (Winston Chang, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Web applications with Shiny and React (and AI)

Speaker(s): Winston Chang

If you’ve ever wanted to have complete control over the UI for a Shiny application, this talk might be for you. In this talk I’ll show how to integrate a back end written in Shiny (for R or Python) with a front end written in React.js. This lets you combine Shiny’s reactivity with the flexibility of the React web development ecosystem.

In the past, writing a front end in React was a large time investment, and would be reserved only for a serious project. However, with today’s agentic AI coding tools, it can make sense to create a React front end even for smaller-scale applications. But even with AI involved, you will still need to know some React or be willing to learn about it.

Using Quarto to Improve Formatting/Automate the Generation of Hundreds of Reports (Keaton Wilson)

Using Quarto to Improve Formatting and Automate the Generation of Hundreds of Reports

Speaker(s): Keaton Wilson

Abstract:

This presentation showcases how KS&R’s Decision Sciences and Innovation (DSI) team modernized a legacy reporting pipeline to automate and scale custom survey report generation. Using tidyverse and Quarto, the team produced hundreds of personalized PDFs weekly over three months. Hosted on GitHub, the project integrated version control and streamlined collaboration while documentation ensured easy onboarding and adaptability. Attendees will gain insights into automating report workflows, overcoming implementation challenges, integrating custom formatting and fostering collaboration using tidyverse, Quarto, and GitHub.

Use Your Data Skills for Good (Sharon Machlis) | posit::conf(2025)

Use Your Data Skills for Good: Ideas for Community Service Speaker(s): Sharon Machlis

Abstract: Community service doesn’t have to mean finding a group where your skills match their needs. You can also see a data-related need and jump in to fill it.

Are there interesting things to do in your town, but no one place to find them? You could create a searchable, auto-updating local events calendar.

Do you live someplace where local election results aren’t published the way you’d like people to see them? If data is publicly available, you could analyze and publish it yourself.

You’ll leave this session with some ideas on how your data skills can help your community – even if you’re not ready to commit to formal volunteering with an outside organization.

Trust, but Verify: Lessons from Deploying LLMs in a Large Health System (Timothy Keyes)

Trust, but Verify: Lessons from Deploying LLMs in a Large Health System

Speaker(s): Timothy Keyes

Abstract:

Large language models (LLMs) are transforming how data practitioners work with unstructured text data. However, in high-stakes domains like medicine, we need to ensure that “hallucinated” clinical details don’t mislead clinicians.

Tips & tricks from the maintainers of Positron (Sharon Wang & Melissa Barca) | posit::conf(2025)

Tips & tricks from the maintainers of Positron

Speaker(s): Melissa Barca; Sharon Wang

Abstract:

Positron is Posit’s next-generation IDE for data science. Finding your groove in a new IDE takes time, so we’ve got some tips and tricks to help you feel more at home in Positron!

We’ll cover key navigation concepts, helpful features for different workflows, and configuration settings for a pleasant IDE experience. Plus, we’ll show you how to explore what Positron is doing under the hood – so you can understand it more deeply and solve problems with confidence.

Whether you’re just getting started or already using Positron, these tips will help you settle into your data science workflow and get the most out of everything Positron has to offer.

There’s a new Plumber in town (Thomas Lin Pedersen, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

There’s a new Plumber in town

Speaker(s): Thomas Lin Pedersen

Abstract:

The Curse of Documentation (Michael Chow, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

The Curse of Documentation

Speaker(s): Michael Chow

Abstract:

In Greek mythology, Tantalus was doomed to stand with a lake of water below him and branches of fruit close above. When he went to drink the water it receded, and when he reached to eat the fruit it was blown beyond his grasp. What he needed was forever at arms length.

Software documentation often puts users in a similar bind. The information is there, but something doesn’t quite connect. Maybe you try and fail to adapt an example to your use case. Maybe it’s unclear how a bunch of functions fit together.

Teaching data visualization with R entirely in Quarto (Claus Wilke, UT Austin) | posit::conf(2025)

Teaching data visualization with R entirely in Quarto

Speaker(s): Claus Wilke

Abstract:

When teaching a programming course, we may want to employ several different modes of content delivery. First, slides. (And it should be easy to integrate code and code output into them.) Second, practical exercises, where students can try out programming concepts in a guided manner. Third, an in-class live programming environment, to ad-lib during lectures. Fourth, a framework for graded assignments. Fifth, a class website. All of these components can be created with Quarto and webR. I will explain how I used these technologies for my data visualization class at UT Austin, covering how the different components work, what issues I encountered, and what I think best practices are if you want to create a similar course yourself.

Teaching Data Sharing through R Data Packages (Kelly McConville, Bucknell) | posit::conf(2025)

Teaching Data Sharing through R Data Packages

Speaker(s): Kelly McConville

Abstract:

Data science courses tend to teach students reproducible workflows. However, the origin of the data used in these workflows and definitions of the variables used are often not emphasized. This talk addresses this gap by focusing on how to teach students effective data sharing through the creation of R data packages. We’ll explore how to leverage key packages, such as devtools and usethis, and will demonstrate how to guide students in generating appropriate documentation through ReadMes, help files, and vignettes. Furthermore, we’ll discuss common pitfalls encountered when first learning to create R packages and will propose how to structure a project assignment where an R data package serves as the primary deliverable.

surveydown (John Paul Helveston, GWU) | posit::conf(2025)

surveydown: A Markdown-Based Platform for Interactive and Reproducible Surveys Using Quarto and Shiny

Speaker(s): John Paul Helveston

Abstract:

This talk introduces the surveydown R package and survey platform, which leverages the Quarto publication system and R shiny web framework to create reproducible and interactive surveys. While most survey platforms rely on graphical interfaces or spreadsheets to define survey content, surveydown uses plain text (markdown and R code chunks), enabling version control and collaboration via tools like GitHub. It supports complex features like conditional skip logic, dynamic questions, and complex randomization as well as a diverse set of question types and formatting options. The open-source package gives researchers full control over survey implementation and data storage, with reproducible workflows that integrate with R data analysis.

Shinystate (Eric Nantz, Eli Lilly) | posit::conf(2025)

shinystate: Launching collaboration and session management to new heights in Shiny applications

Speaker(s): Eric Nantz

Abstract:

Shiny is being used more regularly as a front end to sophisticated workflows in data science, often with a large number of inputs and intricate reactivity. End users desire a way to save their progress through the application workflow and share their state of the application with others for review. For small applications, the existing Shiny bookmarkable state feature is a valid approach. However, many of the production Shiny applications I’ve created require more granular control. Enter {shinystate}, my new R package that offers an intuitive class system and integration with {pins} to let developers choose where to save application state, ability to save multiple sessions at once, and bring collaboration to new heights for end users.

Semantic Search for the Rest of Us with DuckDB (Marcos Huerta, Carmax) | posit::conf(2025)

Semantic Search for the Rest of Us with DuckDB

Speaker(s): Marcos Huerta

Abstract:

Semantic search matches a search query against documents not just by directly matching words, but by ranking results using semantic meaning - for example searching for “cat” could also turn up documents that have “tiger.”

While many enterprise level solutions exist for semantic search, I will show a low memory technique in Python that enables live semantic search for small to medium document collections that need to be deployed in constrained memory/ CPU environments - such as Posit Connect Cloud or a small cloud server.

Positron for Babies: Communicating Technical Concepts to all Audiences (Ryan Johnson)

Positron for Babies: Communicating Technical Concepts to all Audiences

Speaker(s): Ryan Johnson

Abstract:

Outgrowing Your Laptop with Positron (Austin Dickey, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Outgrowing Your Laptop with Positron

Speaker(s): Austin Dickey

Abstract:

Ever run out of memory or time when crunching data, making a visualization, or training a model? As computational demands and data sizes grow, many practitioners find their laptops behaving more like cranky toddlers than high-performance machines. In this talk, we’ll demo how the Positron IDE helps you scale your development without losing your sanity or your data. You’ll learn how Positron can integrate into different setups and see how lazy-evaluated libraries like Ibis can manage data too big for memory. Whether you’re building AI models, running complex simulations, or working with large-scale datasets, you’ll walk away with techniques for doing it better with Positron.

Oops! I accidentally made a production dashboard (Jonathan Keane, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Oops! I accidentally made a production dashboard

Speaker(s): Jonathan Keane

Abstract:

On Teaching Adults to Code (Kristin Bott, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

On teaching adults to code

Speaker(s): Kristin Bott

Abstract:

Working with code can be deeply rewarding, but learning to code can be daunting; similarly, changing the code habits of a team may feel monstrous. For the last three years, the Posit Academy team has been working to teach adults to code in a way that sticks with individual learners, scales within organizations, and leaves individuals able to adapt in an evolving technological landscape. In this talk, I will share some lessons we’ve learned, speak to the importance of communities of practice, and provide actionable steps for effectively connecting learners and code.

Old Apps, New Tricks: How AI can write Automated Tests for your Shiny Apps (Karan Gathani, Posit)

Old Apps, New Tricks: How AI can write Automated Tests for your Shiny Apps

Speaker(s): Karan Gathani

Abstract:

As Shiny applications grow in complexity, comprehensive testing becomes crucial yet often overlooked. Many developers struggle to implement proper testing due to time constraints and technical barriers. To address this challenge, we’re introducing an innovative solution that automatically generates regression tests for existing Shiny apps. By leveraging AI models trained on testing best practices, the Shiny package will streamline the testing process, making it more accessible and efficient for developers of all skill levels.

Observability at scale (Barret Schloerke, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Observability at scale: Monitoring Shiny Applications with OpenTelemetry

Speaker(s): Barret Schloerke

Abstract:

Understanding what happens behind the scenes in production Shiny applications has always been challenging. When users experience slow response times or unexpected behavior, developers are left guessing where bottlenecks occur. This talk introduces OpenTelemetry integration for Shiny for R, a new approach to profiling code and understanding application behavior.

Through a chat-enabled weather application, we’ll explore how complex user interactions trigger cascading events across multiple processes. You’ll learn how OpenTelemetry’s “high-quality, ubiquitous, and portable telemetry” can provide complete visibility into your Shiny application’s performance with minimal setup… just a few environment variables!

After walking through the chat app, you’ll have a taste of how to implement comprehensive monitoring for your Shiny applications in production, enabling you to proactively identify and resolve unexpected performance issues.

Modular, layout-as-code approach for customizable Shiny dashboards (Kim Schouten, De NZa)

Modular, layout-as-code approach for customizable Shiny dashboards

Speaker(s): Kim Schouten

Abstract:

To improve government supervision in the healthcare space, we have designed a Shiny dashboard that enables us to adhere to GDPR and other regulations and share different bits of information with different types of stakeholders. For that, we have implemented a ‘layout-as-code’ system where each user can have its own layout of pages and modules, stored as json in the database. Users have the option to drag and drop modules to different locations or change the layout altogether, adding and removing modules as needed! For developers, this system of loosely coupled modules helps to quickly contribute to the project as a new module needs only a couple of lines of code to integrate it within the framework.

Making Things Nice in Python (Rich Iannone, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Making Things Nice in Python

Speaker(s): Rich Iannone

Abstract:

When working on the Great Tables and Pointblank Python packages, we’ve tried to make them ’nice’. These packages give you a lot of convenient options, and a large volume of docs and examples. In the Python world, this might be received differently than it would be in R. Whether it was integrating Polars selectors in Great Tables or accepting a multitude of DataFrames and DB tables in Pointblank, these design choices can be seen as surprising things to established Python developers.

Lift Off! Building REST APIs that Fly (Joe Kirincic, RESTORE-Skills) | posit::conf(2025)

Lift Off! Building REST APIs that Fly

Speaker(s): Joe Kirincic

Abstract:

Leveraging LLMs for student feedback in introductory data science courses (Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel)

Leveraging LLMs for student feedback in introductory data science courses

Speaker(s): Mine Cetinkaya-Rundel

Abstract:

A considerable recent challenge for learners and teachers of data science courses is the proliferation of the use of LLM-based tools in generating answers. In this talk, I will introduce an R package that leverages LLMs to produce immediate feedback on student work to motivate them to give it a try themselves first. I will discuss technical details of augmenting models with course materials, backend and user interface decisions, challenges around evaluations that are not done correctly by the LLM, and student feedback from the first set of users. Finally, I will touch on incorporating this tool into low-stakes assessment and ethical considerations for the formal assessment structure of the course relying on LLMs.

Keeping Data Alive: Persistent Storage Options for Dynamic Cloud Applications (Alex Chisholm, Posit)

Keeping Data Alive: Persistent Storage Options for Dynamic Cloud Applications

Speaker(s): Alex Chisholm

Abstract:

Building cloud-based data applications that evolve over time requires persistent storage solutions. Without a way to record new information or modify datasets, applications like Shiny or Streamlit would reset after each session, losing potentially valuable information. This talk explores persistent storage options ranging from lightweight solutions like Google Sheets to scalable services like Amazon S3 and MotherDuck. We’ll also cover securing connections to these services using Posit Connect Cloud’s secret variable management. By the end, you’ll understand common persistent storage solutions, their trade-offs, and how to choose the best approach for your specific project.

Is that LLM feature any good? (Simon P. Couch, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Is that LLM feature any good?

Speaker(s): Simon P. Couch

Abstract:

The ellmer package has enabled R users to build all sorts of powerful LLM-enabled tools. How do you test these features, though? How do you know whether a change to your prompt made any difference, or if a much cheaper model would work just as well for your users? This talk introduces an R port of Inspect, a Python framework for LLM evaluation that has been widely adopted by both LLM developers and tool builders. Attendees will learn about the process of—and importance of—evaluating LLM-enabled apps empirically.

Instant Impact: Developing {docorator} to Simplify R Adoption for Teams (Becca Krouse, GSK)

Instant Impact: Developing {docorator} to Simplify R Adoption for Teams

Speaker(s): Becca Krouse

Abstract:

IDE-ntity Crisis: Choosing the Right Tool for Me (Isabel Zimmerman, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

IDE-ntity Crisis: Choosing the Right Tool for Me

Speaker(s): Isabel Zimmerman

Abstract:

Data practitioners have more IDE choices than ever, but not all are built for the same purpose. JupyterLab prioritizes a notebook-first experience, while VS Code focuses on software engineering with extensible features. Others, like Positron, are designed specifically for data scientists, streamlining workflows and boosting productivity.

How non-programmers can make sparks fly when using testthat during package development (L. McKenna)

Enemies to lovers: How non-programmers can make sparks fly when using testthat during package development

Speaker(s): Libby McKenna

Abstract:

Get Your Ducks in a Row with Databases (Melissa Albino Hegeman, NYS OGS) | posit::conf(2025)

Get your ducks in a row… faster Shiny apps with DuckDB

Speaker(s): Melissa Albino Hegeman

Abstract:

Get the Latest on Posit’s Commercial Products | posit::conf(2025)

Get the Latest on Posit’s Commercial Products

Speaker(s): Kelly O’Briant; Tom Mock; Joe Roberts; Kara Woo; Alex Chisholm; Chetan Thapar; Steve Nolen

Abstract:

Join us for an overview of the latest developments across Posit’s commercial product ecosystem. This session will cover Posit Workbench, Package Manager, Connect, Connect Cloud, and our growing portfolio of managed services including Snowflake and beyond. Hear directly from the product managers and engineers who are building these tools, and get insights into what’s coming next.

0:00 Introduction 3:30 Audited jobs, Positron Pro sessions, and GenAI in Workbench 14:20 Auth and integrations with RStudio Pro sessions in Package Manager 21:00 An intro to Chronicle for Posit Team 25:57 Building container images in Connect 39:50 Organization plans in Connect Cloud 49:00 A Snowflake Native App offering for Connect and Workbench 1:02:00 An intro to Posit Team Dedicated

posit::conf(2025)

From Solo to Social: Making Coding a Collaborative Adventure (Allissa Dillman, BioData Sage)

From Solo to Social: Making Coding a Collaborative Adventure

Speaker(s): Allissa Dillman

Abstract:

What if coding were not an exclusive skill but an accessible adventure? Through community-driven, project-based learning, I transform data science education into an inclusive journey. My approach builds trust by meeting participants where they are, using familiar tools and relevant datasets. Through targeted workshops, and collaborative hackathons, I break down complex coding concepts into digestible applications for global audiences.

Exploring Extensions from the Posit Connect Gallery (Toph Allen) | posit::conf(2025)

Toph Allen, a software engineer at Posit, introduces the Posit Connect gallery, a platform for deploying applications, dashboards, and APIs.

Exploring Datasets in Positron (Wes McKinney, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Exploring Datasets in Positron

Speaker(s): Wes McKinney

Abstract:

Expanding Quarto’s Capabilities with Lua (Christophe Dervieux, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Beyond the Basics: Expanding Quarto’s Capabilities with Lua

Speaker(s): Christophe Dervieux

Abstract:

Are you familiar with Quarto and eager to push its boundaries? This session is for those ready to explore the power of Lua for customization. Whether you’re a novice implementing simple Lua filters or a seasoned developer seeking inspiration for Quarto Extensions, this talk offers valuable insights into Pandoc’s and Quarto’s Lua features.

We’ll explore Quarto’s unique Lua support, including custom AST nodes and helper functions, showcasing how both straightforward and advanced techniques can transform your documents. Through practical examples, you’ll gain the confidence to extend Quarto’s functionality and unlock new possibilities.

Join us to elevate your Quarto projects and contribute to its growing ecosystem!

Engineer Insightful Shiny Apps with Behavioral Science (Jeremy Winget, CrossStack) | posit::conf

Death by Dropdown? Engineer Insightful Shiny Apps with Behavioral Science

Speaker(s): Jeremy Winget, PhD

Abstract:

Opening a Shiny app to endless dropdowns and scattered filters leads to immediate disengagement and feeling like “death by dropdown”. This talk introduces the Behavioral Insights Design (BID) Framework, a behavioral science roadmap that transforms overwhelming dashboards into guided user journeys. Using the “Interfaces Need A Smart Vision” mnemonic, we’ll explore five stages: Interpret user needs through data storytelling, Notice cognitive friction points, Anticipate user behavior, Structure the application, and Validate & empower users. Drawing from established theories and real-world production examples, attendees will see how applying behavioral science can dramatically reduce the time between “Where do I even start?” and “Aha, now I get it!”. You’ll leave with practical techniques using the new {bidux} package to help transform user confusion into confident exploration and build dashboards that guide users toward better decisions (and fewer ghosted users).

Enabling geospatial workflow management with targets (Eric Scott, UArizona) | posit::conf(2025)

Enabling geospatial workflow management with targets: an R package origin story Speaker(s): Eric Scott

Abstract: {geotargets} is the latest addition to the ‘targetopia’ of extensions for the workflow management package {targets} allowing integration of geospatial packages such as {terra}. {geotargets} provides custom target constructors for raster and vector objects as well as ‘target factories’ for common geospatial workflows such as iterating over tiles or creating spatial datasets. {geotargets} is currently under review at rOpenSci. In addition to discussing features of {geotargets} and some technical challenges we experienced, I’m excited to talk about how {geotargets} was made possible by the extensible design of {targets} and a group of developers from across the globe brought together by the same cryptic error message.

Empowering Learners with WebR, Pyodide, and Quarto (Ted Laderas, Fred Hutch) | posit::conf(2025)

Empowering Learners with WebR, Pyodide, and Quarto

Speaker(s): Ted Laderas

Abstract:

WebR, Pyodide, and Quarto are powerful technologies that let you run code exercises in the Web browser. Because of this, WebR exercises can be integrated into data science lessons within RevealJS slides and Quarto websites. In this talk, I want to emphasize some considerations for using WebR/Pyodide for active learning in the classroom.

Careful exercise design with WebR/Pyodide can make the difference between empowering learners and demotivating them. With our R-Bootcamp and other exercises as examples, I show scaffolding methods for teaching data science concepts gradually, as well as other design considerations. I’ll finish up with showing you how to set up WebR up in your slides and websites for your Data Science Learners.

duckplyr: Analyze large data with full dplyr compatibility (Kirill Müller, cynkra)

duckplyr: Analyze large data with full dplyr compatibility

Speaker(s): Kirill Müller

Abstract:

The duckplyr package is now stable, version 1.0.0 has been published on CRAN. Learn how to use this package to speed up your existing dplyr codes with little to no changes, and how to work with larger-than-memory data using a syntax that not only feels like dplyr for data frames, but behaves exactly like that.

Design of Everyday Shiny Apps (Casey Aguilar-Gervase & Maya Gans, Atorus) | posit::conf(2025)

Design of Everyday Shiny Apps

Speaker(s): Casey Aguilar-Gervase; Maya Gans

Abstract:

Donald Norman’s Design of Everyday Things shows how even smart people struggle with bad design—flipping the wrong switch, pushing a door instead of pulling. The same issues exist in Shiny apps, where function often outweighs experience. But as a Shiny developer, you are the door designer, and it’s your responsibility to create user-friendly tools. Not to worry—good design isn’t just for designers. You don’t need an art degree to build intuitive, visually appealing apps. This talk covers composition, color theory, scale, and proportion—practical rules to improve usability. We’ll show real-world examples and code-based strategies to bring these principles to life. Because good design isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

ChalkTalk: Globalizing Data Science Education with AI-generated Videos (Kene David Nwosu)

ChalkTalk: Globalizing Data Science Education with AI-generated Videos

Speaker(s): Kene David Nwosu

Abstract:

We present ChalkTalk, an open-source tool that converts Quarto documents into engaging educational videos with AI-powered voices and avatars. By adding simple text-to-speech (TTS) and text-to-video (TTV) attributes to markdown files, educators can automatically generate multilingual video content while maintaining the reproducibility benefits of Quarto. At The GRAPH Courses, where we’ve trained over 3,000 learners globally, we are testing out this tool to scale our video content creation. We’ll demonstrate its integration with Quarto and present preliminary findings from our A/B testing with students.

Building Governable ML Models with R (Tom Shafer, Elder Research) | posit::conf(2025)

Building Governable ML Models with R

Speaker(s): Tom Shafer

Abstract:

For a model to provide value in production, it must be fit for purpose, deployable, and maintainable over time. We know that R provides a host of tools and packages for building good models, but the language and ecosystem also provide tools to help us build these kinds of maintainable production systems. This talk will present techniques, adapted from software engineering, that provide a stable foundation for building models and writing all the accompanying code that’s often needed to train, test, and update models over time. Those attending this talk will learn how, by centering model development on packages, writing tests, creating intuitive S3 methods, and more, we can build modularized, testable code that makes our models easier to monitor and update over time.

Brand YML and Dark Mode in Quarto (Gordon Woodhull, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Brand YML and Dark Mode in Quarto Speaker(s): Gordon Woodhull

Abstract: Brand YML is a specification to provide consistent color themes, typography, and logos across all applications and packages that support it. Quarto currently implements Brand YML for its HTML and Typst formats. This talk will introduce Brand YML and get into a few of the interesting technical details about how we implemented Brand YML in Quarto. Specifically, I’ll talk about the layering of SCSS styles in our HTML format, and the Typst CSS layer which translates CSS properties into Typst properties. Time and progress permitting, I’ll also talk about applying Dark Mode to your documents by specifying both light and dark brands.

Birthing the pregnancy package (Ella Kaye, University of Warwick) | posit::conf(2025)

Birthing the pregnancy package

Speaker(s): Ella Kaye

Abstract: When I was pregnant, I wrote a personal, private package for date and medication calculations, hard-coded with my data. I thought it would be easy to adapt for general use, but no! I wanted the user experience to be excellent, but how to avoid them repeatedly entering the same due date and meds? How to print useful, nicely formatted, grammatically correct information to the console? How to test a package that relies on the current date? Using the pregnancy package as a case study, I’ll show how to take advantage of base R features such as global options and %||%, how the cli and rlang packages came to the rescue for messages and how testthat’s new mocking features saved the day (literally!) to create a package that’s a pleasure to use.

Automating Event Scheduling with Python in Positron (Becky Hodge, ProCogia) | posit::conf(2025)

Automating Event Scheduling with Python in Positron Speaker(s): Becky Hodge

Abstract: For years, scheduling for the Atlanta Writers Conference—where 200+ writers meet literary agents and editors—was a manual, time-consuming process using Excel and individual emails. For the May 2025 conference, we automated scheduling with Python in Positron, vastly reducing the amount of time spent preparing for this conference in such a way that these massive time-savings will carry forward to future conferences too. This talk will cover our transition, lessons learned, and how we’re planning to integrate MailerLite, Cvent, and TablesReady APIs next for the November 2025 conference to further streamline the process. Attendees will gain insights into using Python for event management automation and optimizing logistical workflows.

AskRADS: An AI Recommendation Agent for Maximizing ROI of Data Science Collaborations (Regis James)

AskRADS: An AI Recommendation Agent for Maximizing the ROI of Data Science Collaborations

Speaker(s): Regis A. James

Abstract:

Approaching Positron from RStudio (Mauro Lepore, Recast) | posit::conf(2025)

Approaching Positron from RStudio Speaker(s): Mauro Lepore

Abstract: Many data science teams that traditionally worked with R and RStudio are now attracting developers with experience in Python and VS Code. Positron is a polyglot IDE supporting both R and Python and incorporating tools from both RStudio and VS Code. However, jumping straight from one familiar IDE to an unfamiliar one can be intimidating, slow down productivity, and impair adoption.

In this talk, I’ll show some tools and techniques you can use in RStudio and VS Code to start your transition to Positron today—with minimal friction—while staying productive in your preferred IDE.

Air - A blazingly fast R code formatter (Davis Vaughn & Lionel Henry, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Air - A blazingly fast R code formatter

Speaker(s): Davis Vaughan; Lionel Henry

Abstract:

In Python, Rust, Go, and many other languages, code formatters are widely loved. They run on every save, on every pull request, and in git pre-commit hooks to ensure code consistently looks its best at all times.

In this talk, you’ll learn about Air, a new R code formatter. Air is extremely fast, capable of formatting individual files so fast that you’ll question if its even running, and of formatting entire projects in under a second. Air integrates directly with your favorite IDEs, like Positron, RStudio, and VS Code, and is available on the command line, making it easy to standardize on one tool even for teams using various IDEs.

AI-Powered Data Science in Positron (Ryan Johnson, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)

Ryan Johnson introduces Positron, an AI-ready multilingual IDE designed specifically for data science.

AI Coding Assistants: Hype, Help, or Hindrance? (Rebecca Barter, Arine) | posit::conf(2025)

AI Coding Assistants: Hype, Help, or Hindrance?

Speaker(s): Rebecca Barter

Abstract:

AI coding assistants like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Codeium promise to revolutionize our coding workflows—but how useful are they in practice? Are they our new overlords here to take our jobs? Or just a passing gimmick? I think the reality lies somewhere in between, and that understanding these tools is key to staying relevant in today’s rapidly evolving data science ecosystem.

In this talk, I’ll show how I’ve used these AI tools in RStudio, Positron, and VS Code to speed up both my advanced R workflows as well as my learning experience as an intermediate Python programmer, providing examples, pitfalls, and best practices.

10 Years of Data Science Tools…and What Happens Next (Jonathan McPherson) | posit::conf(2025)

10 Years of Data Science Tools… and What Happens Next

Speaker(s): Jonathan McPherson

Abstract:

In this talk, I’ll reflect on a decade of work on RStudio and the principles of tool-building that have led it to become the standard data science environment for R. We’ll talk about how those same principles have guided the development of Positron, a new data science environment from Posit, and how you can apply them to your own tool-building work.