Rate My Professor John Croucher

Professor John Croucher is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Actuarial Studies and Business Analytics at Macquarie University. He joined the university in March 1974 as a lecturer in the School of Economic and Financial Studies, progressing through various roles including at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management. Croucher earned his PhD in statistics and master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Minnesota. He later obtained PhDs in history from Macquarie University and the University of Technology Sydney, and an honorary PhD from Divine Word University in Papua New Guinea for community outreach work. His academic career spans over four decades, during which he taught introductory statistics and quantitative methods to thousands of students, emphasizing practical applications.

Croucher specializes in applied statistics, with research interests encompassing sports analytics, gambling probabilities, business analytics, data science in medical research, and mathematics education. He has authored 34 books, including Quantitative Analysis for Management (7th edition, 2020), Introductory Mathematics and Statistics (5th edition, 2016), and Love by Numbers: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Attraction (2011), alongside over 100 peer-reviewed papers such as A Comparison of Strategies for Playing Even Money Bets in Roulette (2005, cited 12 times), Data Science in Medical Research (2021), and A Covid-19 Led Revolution in Mathematics Teaching (2022). He has contributed over 500 newspaper articles and numerous media pieces on lotteries, sports odds, and probabilities. Major awards include the Prime Minister’s Australian University Teacher of the Year (2013), Australian Outstanding Teaching Award (2013), Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching from MGSM (2012 and 2013), Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2015 for significant service to mathematical sciences in statistics, and the C Oswald George Prize (2018). Croucher is recognized for transforming statistics education through engaging real-world examples from sports and gambling, enhancing student understanding and interest.