About Us
The Bayesian Network Modelling Association (BNMA) promotes the understanding and use of Bayesian network (BN) models in scientific, industrial and research applications. The BNMA aims to provide opportunities for BN modellers to exchange ideas and socialize, by organising conferences, webinars and regular events.
Constitution
The Bayesian Network Modelling Association (BNMA) constitution is available online:
Bayesian Network Modelling Association – Constitution (7 November 2023)
Board
President
Dr Yue Wu
School of Public Health, University of Sydney
yue.wu1@sydney.edu.au
Yue is a lecturer at the Sydney School of Public Health, the University of Sydney. Yue was trained in mathematical biology with her PhD research focusing on the theoretical evolution of bacterial genomes and its implications in the antimicrobial resistance problem. With growing interest in health and clinical research, Yue’s current research interests lie in the development of clinical decision support tools for managing patients presenting to healthcare for infectious diseases, using Bayesian network models. This involves closely working with medical experts to create models that describe the causal pathophysiological and clinical processes underlying the clinical manifestation of disease. She has participated and led projects on the diagnosis and prognosis of serious infections in children, as well as COVID-19.
President-Elect
Dr Anca Hanea
University of Melbourne
anca.hanea@unimelb.edu.au
Anca is a senior research fellow based at the Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA) at the University of Melbourne. She is a research associate at the Centre for Environmental and Economic Research (CEER) and at the Interdisciplinary MetaResearch Group. Her research interests and experience lie in high dimensional dependence modelling, risk analysis, decision theory, probabilistic graphical models, and structured expert judgement.
Past President
Dr Helen Mayfield
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland
h.mayfield@uq.edu.au
Helen’s research interests cover biodiversity conservation and human health, and how decisions in these fields could be optimised to achieve mutual gains for people and the environment. Her underlying goal is to facilitate evidence-based decisions in these fields by making data modelling and decision science more accessible to decision makers, regardless of the quality or nature of their data. Her interest in BNs therefore includes using them both as a machine learning technique and as a participatory modelling tool.
Member at large
(3 years)
Dr Erica Marshall
University of Melbourne
erica.marshall@unimelb.edu.au
Erica is a fire risk analyst who’s research interest focuses on quantifying how wildfires are changing with climate and management. She is interested in understanding and testing how different management strategies impact patterns of fire and the risks to people, property and the environment to help support decision makers. BNs play an important role in doing this as they allow for a participatory modelling approach, account for multiple complicated systems and their uncertainties, and can be utilised as decision support tools. This is all relevant for fire managers to make decisions about how to manage fire in changing climates.
Member at large
(3 years)
Dr Shannon Bengtson
GNS Science
s.bengtson@gns.cri.nz
Shannon is a statistical modeller at GNS Science in Wellington, New Zealand. His research focuses on coastal hazard modelling for Pacific communities, aiming to equip policy makers with vital information in our changing climate. With a background in data science, he has a keen interest in applying machine learning techniques to environmental datasets. Shannon is the team leader of the Earthquake Physics and Statistics team at GNS Science. Shannon has a background in engineering and a PhD in paleoceanography from The University of New South Wales.
Member at large
(2 years)
Dr Annemarie Christophersen
GNS Science
a.christophersen@gns.cri.nz
Dr Annemarie Christophersen is a senior scientist at GNS Science, New Zealand. Annemarie first came across Bayesian networks in the context of developing risk assessment method for carbon capture and storage and has since worked with colleagues in volcanology on models for eruption forecasting and with colleagues in climate modelling on Antarctic ice-sheet stability. Annemarie has been on the board of ABNMS since 2016 and was the president in 2019.
Member at large
(2 years)
Dr Bruce Marcot
USDA Forest Service
bruce.marcot@usda.gov
Bruce Marcot, Ph.D., is an Emeritus Research Wildlife Biologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station of U.S. Forest Service in Portland, Oregon, USA. He participates in applied science research and technology application projects dealing with old-forest management, analysis of rare and little-known species, assessment of biodiversity, and ecological research in regions from the arctic to the tropics. He has provided advances in integrating Bayesian network modelling with decision science, expert elicitation, rare event statistics, and environmental monitoring.
Member at large
(1 year)
Dr Annalie Dorph
University of New England
Annalie.Dorph@une.edu.au
Annalie is a research fellow at the University of New England in the Practical Ecology Science and Technology (PEST) research group. Her research currently focuses on ways of improving the detection, monitoring and management of feral cats in New South Wales, Australia to better implement control strategies for these populations. She is also investigating how we can integrate expert opinion with ecological and management data to develop tools for land managers to make decisions related to the management of feral cat and European red fox populations in Australian landscapes.
Member at large
(1 year)
Dr Trent Penman
University of Melbourne
trent.penman@unimelb.edu.au
Trent is a bushfire risk modeller interested in all aspects of bushfire management. His work covers a range of theoretical and applied aspects of bushfire behaviour and management. The main focus of his research is optimising management expenditure to reduce the risk of detrimental fire impacts on people, property and the environment. Over the last ten years, his research has combined fire simulation with risk research methodologies such as Bayesian Networks. Trent teaches undergraduate and masters level subjects and supervises a range of research students from laboratory studies of fire fundamentals, field based research projects on fire and fire ecology and computer based studies including remote sensing, fire behaviour simulation and species distribution modelling.
Treasurer & Public Secretary
Treasurer
Dr Owen Woodberry
Bayesian Intelligence
owen.woodberry@bayesian-intelligence.com
Dr Owen Woodberry is a Director and Senior Consultant at Bayesian Intelligence. He has worked in Bayesian networks since 2003, where he worked on the development of a model of native fish populations in the Goulburn Broken Catchment in Victoria. Since then, he has worked on the development of a wide range of BN models, including in domains such as ecology, health, infectious diseases, fire, biosecurity and asset management. He has interests in the knowledge engineering of BNs, machine learning, software development and teaching.
Public secretary
Dr Steven Mascaro
Bayesian Intelligence
steven.mascaro@bayesian-intelligence.com
Dr Steven Mascaro is a Director and Senior Consultant at Bayesian Intelligence. He began working with BNs in 2006, contributing to the development of Monash University’s BN-based poker playing bot. Since then, he has worked on development of models and software, both elicited and machine learned, in domains including ecology, defence, biosecurity, fire, children’s health and infectious diseases and rail maintenance. His main interests are in machine learning and causal discovery, as well as in expert elicitation and, in particular, software and techniques for structuring and automating the elicitation process.
Other contacts
| General information: | Dr Yue Wu (President) contact@abnms.org |
| Membership secretary: | Dr Annalie Dorph Annalie.Dorph@une.edu.au |
| Webinar coordinator: | Daniel Oakes webinars@bnma.co |
| Social media coordinator: | Ross Pearson ross.pearson@monash.edu |
| Website Manager: | Dr Steven Mascaro steven.mascaro@bayesian-intelligence.com |