David I Warton

Professor David I Warton is a leading ecological statistician at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales (UNSW). He leads the Eco-Stats research group, which has secured over $9M in Australian Research Council (ARC) funding and focuses on developing model-based statistical methodologies to address ecological questions.

• Education: PhD in Ecological Statistics (Macquarie, 2003), MA in Mathematical Statistics (Sydney, 1999), BSc (Hons) in Ecology and Pure Mathematics (Sydney, 1997)

His research spans allometry, multivariate abundance analysis, species distribution modelling, and error-in-variables regression, with applications ranging from biodiversity conservation to medical studies. His recent publications emphasize AI-driven ecological data analysis, phylogenetic GLMMs, and efficient algorithm development.

• Scientific Awards: ARC College of Experts (2025-27), Highly Cited Researcher (2019-22), Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW (2020), Christopher Heyde Medal (2014)

He supervises PhD students working on machine learning for fish classification, spatio-temporal species distribution models, and latent variable approaches in ecology. As academic lead of Stats Central, he promotes statistical collaboration across disciplines, and serves as Associate Editor for leading journals.