Chris Robertson

Chris Robertson is Professor of Public Health Epidemiology in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Strathclyde, Faculty of Science. He holds a joint appointment as Head of Statistics at Health Protection Scotland (HPS), where he leads a research team in statistics and public health epidemiology and manages statistical research and consultancy services. He was appointed Senior Research Fellow at the International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon, France, in 2010.

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Statistical Applications in Memory Studies, University of Kent (1981)
• Master of Science (MSc), Statistics, University of Kent (1977)
• Bachelor of Science (BSc), Mathematics and Statistics, University of Edinburgh (1976)

His research lies at the intersection of applied statistics and public health, focusing on statistical modelling of infectious diseases, epidemiological studies, and methods for analyzing linked health data. His work includes disease mapping, pharmaco-epidemiology, meta-analysis, population simulation models, and the design of disease surveillance systems, often in collaboration with the FARR Institute Scotland. His recent work has heavily contributed to understanding the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine effectiveness, and health equity.

The most recent publications highlight trends in using national linked datasets to study immunity, reinfection, and social determinants of severe disease. They emphasize secure data analysis techniques such as multiparty computation, ensuring privacy while enabling large-scale health research. His work spans statistical methodology development and real-world public health application, particularly in epidemic control and vaccine policy.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• Senior Research Fellow, International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon, France (2010)

Robertson has been actively involved in advising public health bodies such as the Joint Committee for Vaccinations and Immunisation. He has led and co-investigated numerous research projects, including those funded through public health agencies and collaborative centers like the Strathclyde Doctoral Training Centre in Digital Health. He supervises PhD students and contributes to training in advanced statistical methods. His work is embedded in real-world impact, exemplified by economic and health benefits from improved infectious disease monitoring.

Labs and Research Teams: He leads a research team in statistics and public health epidemiology at both the University of Strathclyde and Health Protection Scotland. His work is closely linked with the FARR Institute Scotland, focusing on secure analysis of large-scale health data. He is involved in projects such as MOSAEC (Mobilising Scotland’s assets in equitable ways for epidemic control) and COALESCE, which aim to build national research capacity using linked healthcare data.