Dr Theo Pepler

I am an applied statistician at the University of Glasgow. My research experience is in multivariate statistics, veterinary biostatistics, and statistical epidemiology.

Most of my scientific work is applied in nature, using statistical and simulation methods to investigate biological questions. In the EPIC programme, I study how animal movements contribute to infectious disease spread. By combining epidemiological simulation models with observed animal movement data, we identify the agricultural premises potentially playing key roles in future disease outbreaks. Knowledge of these key premises is helpful in planning surveillance and control strategies for infectious animal disease in Scotland.

I also contribute to the quantitative methods and modelling base in EPIC. Use of data analysis pipelines helps to keep track of where our data comes from, what assumptions we make when analysing it, and how to interpret the results. It also improves our response times during disease outbreaks, when we need to advise Scottish Government on the impacts of policy changes.