Associate Professor
Helen Thompson
Faculty of Science,
School of Mathematical Sciences
Biography
Helen Thompson is an Associate Professor of Statistics in the School of Mathematical Sciences and the Centre for Data Science at QUT. She specialises in statistical modeling and machine learning. With expertise in high-dimensional data analysis, space-time modeling, and optimum experimental design, she has made significant contributions to various fields including health, environment, and social sciences. She has published extensively in leading journals and her work provides valuable insights into complex datasets, uncovering hidden patterns and informing optimal decision-making processes in projects including Optimal Resource Extraction with BHP, Emergency Department Demand Modelling with Queensland Metro South Health and Hospital Services, Great Barrier Reef monitoring programs, and the Australian Cancer Atals.Research discipline:
Mathematical Sciences
Areas of expertise:
- Optimal design of experiments
- Clinical trial design
- Bayesian design
- Spatial modelling and sampling
- Copula modelling
- Stochastic frontier modelling
- Appled statistics
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor in Statistics
Faculty of Science,
School of Mathematical Sciences
Keywords
Optimum experimental design, Spatial modelling, Optimal spatial sampling, Copula modelling, Environmental statistics, Health statistics, Applied statistics, Statistical consulting
Research field
Statistics
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (University of Glasgow)
- BSc (Hons) (University of Queensland)
- Bachelor of Science (University of Queensland)
Professional memberships and associations
- Royal Statistical Society
- Statistical Society of Australia
- Institute of Mathematical Statistics
- International Society for Bayesian Analysis
Teaching
Teaching discipline: Mathematical Sciences
Teaching areas:
- Introductory statistics to various cohorts (1st year)
- Introductory mathematics (calculus and linear algebra) to Health Science students (1st year)
- Statistical techniques: experimental design, survival/reliability analysis, multivariate analysis (3rd year)
- Applied statistics: generalised linear models (3rd year)
Experience
Teaching: Helen also has considerable teaching experince in Mathematics and Statistics with other academic institutions in her capacity as Teaching Assistant at the University of Glasgow (2003-2007) and Tutor at the University of Queensland (1999-2001).
Consulting: Some organisations that Helen has provided statistical consultancy for include:
- Queensland Academy of Sport
- Powerlink
- Integrated Open Space Services
Industry Collaboration: Helen's external collaborative research partners include:
- The Developing Foundation (QUT ATN IDTC)
- Princess Alexandra Hospital
- BHP Billiton, The Quantitative Group (CRC ORE)
- Roche Pharmaceuticals (ARC Linkage)
Research Supervision:Below is a list of Helen's completed research students, which includes students whom she associate supervised, and positions taken by the students after completion:
- Gnai Nishani Musafer, PhD (Statistics), "Non-Linear Univariate and Multivariate Spatial Modelling and Optimal Design" (Principal Supervisor), Data Scientist at Dingo Software.
- Darsy Darssan, PhD (Statistics), "Novel Sequential Methods in Dose-Finding Designs: Extension of the Continual Reassessment Method" (Associate Supervisor), Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool.
- Elizabeth Ryan, PhD (Statistics), "Contributions to Bayesian Experimental Design" (Associate Supervisor), Statistician at King's College London.
- Adebayo Aderounmu, PhD (Statistics), "Copula-Based Dependence Modelling of Price Spikes and Contagion-Like Effects in Australian Electricity Markets" (Associate Supervisor), Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Western Ontario.
- Zhengling Xiong, MPhil (Statistics), "Relationship Between Temperature Derivvtives and Electricity Futures" (Associate Supervisor), PhD student at UQ.
- Earl Duncan, BAppSc (Hons) (Statistics), "Optimal Designs for Non-Linear Models with Application to Dose-Finding in Phase I Clinical Trials", PhD student at QUT.
Publications
- Musafer, G. & Thompson, H. (2017). Non-linear optimal multivariate spatial design using spatial vine copulas. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 31(2), 551–570. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/98746
- Musafer, G., Thompson, H., Kozan, E. & Wolff, R. (2017). Spatial pair-copula modeling of grade in ore bodies: a case study. Natural Resources Research, 26(2), 223–236. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/101385
- Blackler, A., Gomez, R., Popovic, V. & Thompson, H. (2016). Life is too short to RTFM: How users relate to documentation and excess features in consumer products. Interacting with Computers, 28(1), 27–46. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/80826
- Musafer, G. & Thompson, H. (2016). Optimal adaptive sequential spatial sampling of soil using pair-copulas. Geoderma, 271, 124–133. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/93348
- Swann, L., Popovic, V., Thompson, H., Blackler, A. & Kraal, B. (2015). Relationships between user experience and intuitiveness of visual and physical interactions. Proceedings of the 6th IASDR (The International Association of Societies of Design Research Congress, 1900–1916. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/89398
- Darssan, D., Thompson, H. & Pettitt, T. (2014). Incorporating adverse event relatedness into dose-finding clinical trial designs. Statistics in Medicine, 33(7), 1146–1161. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/70709
- Ryan, E., Drovandi, C., Thompson, H. & Pettitt, T. (2014). Towards Bayesian experimental design for nonlinear models that require a large number of sampling times. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, 70, 45–60. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/56522
- Musafer, G., Thompson, H., Kozan, E. & Wolff, R. (2013). Copula-based spatial modelling of geometallurgical variables. Proceedings of the Second AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference 2013, 239–246. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/83720
- McGree, J., Drovandi, C., Thompson, H., Eccleston, J., Duffull, S., Mengersen, K., Pettitt, T. & Goggin, T. (2012). Adaptive Bayesian compound designs for dose finding studies. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference, 142(6), 1480–1492. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/42382
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Helen, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Selected research projects
- Title
- Innovative Bayesian Statistics for Enhanced Decision Making for Pharmaceutical Drug Development
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP0991062
- Start year
- 2010
- Keywords
- Bayesian Adaptive Design; Bayesian Decision Procedures; Design for Dose Escalation; Optimal Design; Simulation Modelling; Bayesian Computation
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.