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 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.
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 Yue Wu
School of Public Health, University of Sydney
yue.wu1@sydney.edu.au
Yue Wu is a Senior Research Fellow within the Health and Clinical Analytics Lab, University of Sydney’s School of Public Health. Coming from an inter-disciplinary research background, Yue specialises in causal mathematical modelling of health problems with a particular focus on infectious disease. Her PhD research focused on the theoretical studies of bacterial evolution and its implications on the AMR problem. Yue’s current research involve the full lifecycle of modelling ranging from the build of a model based on both domain knowledge and data, through to the deployment of causal Bayesian Networks (BN) based tools to support decision making in routine care, in public health and in clinical trials.
Member at large
(3 years)
Daniel Oakes
School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia
daniel.oakes@research.uwa.edu.au
Daniel is a student researcher based at The University of Western Australia, and The Kids Research Institute Australia (Wesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases). He applies a background in microbiology, pathology and public health to various research streams encompassed under paediatric infectious disease epidemiology. He has a particular interest in improving paediatric respiratory health outcomes, through working with clinicians and families to develop causal modelling solutions for trial evaluation and decision support.
Member at large
(3 years)
Kieran Drury
University of Warwick
Kieran.Drury@warwick.ac.uk
Kieran is a third-year PhD student at the University of Warwick researching BN model development through structured expert judgement elicitation. He is interested in theoretical work – particularly in researching efficient approximate BN parameterisation techniques – as well as in applying BN methodology to real-world projects such as pollination systems modelling and crime intervention. He is especially interested in the use of BNs and other graphical models for decision support. Kieran is looking to continue working on existing and emerging BN problems and applications throughout the remainder of his PhD and beyond.
Member at large
(2 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
(2 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
(1 year)
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
(1 year)
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.
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.
Engagement Committee
| Committee Chair: | Dr Yue Wu yue.wu1@sydney.edu.au |
| Members: | Amy Smith Annemarie Christophersen Bezalem Eshetu Yirdaw Bruce Marcot Erica Marshall Helen Mayfield Kate Parkins Kieran Drury Mari Takashima Minh Vo Shannon Bengtson Steven Mascaro |
Other contacts
| General information: | Dr Helen Mayfield (President) contact@bnma.co |
| Membership secretary: | Dr Owen Woodberry owen.woodberry@bayesian-intelligence.com |
| Webinar coordinator: | Daniel Oakes webinars@bnma.co |
| Social media coordinator: | Rasoul Amirzadeh and Sami Md Samiullah socials@bnma.co |
| Website Manager: | Dr Steven Mascaro steven.mascaro@bayesian-intelligence.com |