INVITED SPEAKERS
Dr. Bethany Macdonald
Lecturer, University of Canterbury
Bethany is a lecturer in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury. She completed her PhD at the University of Otago, before taking a postdoctoral position at the same institution. Her research concerns modelling and inference for spatial point patterns. Spatial data arise from a wide range of application areas including ecology, epidemiology, crime research and geoscience. Many tasks which are routine in other areas of statistics are unavailable for spatial point processes, and hence Bethany’s research focuses on filling these gaps. She is particularly interested in parameter estimation methods for clustered models, given that traditional likelihood methods are unavailable. Prior to her PhD, Bethany worked as a statistician for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Queensland, Australia. There she worked with crop breeding programs, designing experiments and modelling data to streamline the breeding of varieties which can withstand the harsh environments throughout Australia.
Dr. Jurij Volčič
Lecturer, University of Auckland
Jurij Volčič is a pure mathematician. His research revolves around algebra, analysis, geometry and optimization in several matrix or operator variables, sometimes with a view towards quantum information science. After a PhD from the University of Auckland in 2018, he held postdoctoral and tenure-track positions in Israel, Texas, Denmark and Pennsylvania, before returning as a lecturer to Auckland in 2025.
Prof. Sarah Wakes
Professor, University of Otago
Sarah is an applied mathematician and engineer. She was the first non-male head in almost 150 years of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Otago. She researches and teaches aspects of mathematics, engineering design, fluid dynamics and sustainability. Sarah has a first-class Joint honours degree in Mathematics & Physics and a PhD in Theoretical Mechanics from the University of Nottingham in the UK. Before coming to the University of Otago, she was a research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire. Sarah is an expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with a particular focus on applications of flow simulation to engineering design and wind dynamics over complex coastal geomorphology. She has worked with industrial partners such as Fisher & Paykel and PowerhouseWind on using CFD to enhance their design capabilities and understanding. She was also recently part of the MBIE Reimagining Aquaculture project with Plant & Food. Sarah was made a Fellow Of Engineering New Zealand in 2021 in recognition of her contribution to engineering education and research. She is also a chartered engineer through the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.
PUBLIC LECTURE
To be confirmed