Report – Young-ISA Webinar Joint with the BIR Committee on Statistical Ecology
Gabriel Rodrigues Palma
The online event took place on Thursday, April 10th, 2025, as a collaboration between the Young Irish Statistical Association (Young-ISA) and the British and Irish Region (BIR) of the International Biometric Society. The event ran smoothly and offered valuable insights into the field of statistical ecology to a diverse audience. The event had 66 registrations and was attended by 43 unique participants.
Prof. Caroline Brophy, Professor in Statistics at Trinity College Dublin, began the session with her presentation on how Statistical Modelling of Ecological Principles Can Advance Sustainable Agriculture. Prof. Brophy emphasised the critical role advanced statistical modelling plays in sustainable farming, illustrated through case studies that connected ecological theory with modern agronomic practices.
Dr. Virginia Morera-Pujol, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour at University College Dublin, followed with a talk on Using Bayesian Hierarchical Models in INLA and Inlabru as Tools for Wildlife Management and Conservation. Dr. Morera-Pujol provided practical demonstrations and discussed the advantages and limitations of Bayesian approaches in ecological data, focusing on real-world examples from wildlife monitoring projects.
Prof. Rafael de Andrade Moral, Professor of Statistics at Maynooth University, presented on Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling Applied to Wildlife Monitoring. Prof. Moral's presentation explored the application of hierarchical modelling structures, highlighting methodological challenges and innovative solutions for complex ecological datasets.
Rebecca Akeresola, PhD student in Statistical Ecology at the University of Edinburgh, concluded the speaker series with her talk, Observing the Unobservable. Rebecca discussed the unique statistical challenges of studying unobservable phenomena in ecology and demonstrated how carefully constructed generative models can yield novel insights into ecology.
The event concluded with a round table discussion about the theme of the event, focusing on the practical applications of statistical and Bayesian methods in conservation and ecology, and career trajectories in statistical ecology.
LinkedIn Publication about the event: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7316091456643891200/