Geospatial Systems - Kaitlyn Ries
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Profile
Kaitlyn Ries
Biography
About Kaitlyn
Previously, I obtained an MMathStat from Newcastle University, graduating with a First. My dissertation, titled ‘Bayesian Modelling of Road Traffic Collisions,’ focused on accurately estimating the effects of speed cameras on the number of road traffic collisions, taking regression to the mean into account. We used a fully Bayesian approach to demonstrate that the effectiveness of road safety measures is often exaggerated in studies.
During my time at Newcastle University, I also participated in two summer projects: ‘Using Qualitative Techniques to Explore the “Leaky Pipeline” of Women in Mathematics’ and ‘Understanding the Barriers Faced by Female and Gender Minority PhD Students’. These projects allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, conducting semi-structured interviews and performing qualitative analyses of the responses.
Research
MRes Research
My MRes in Geospatial Systems at Newcastle University focused on the spread of the oak processionary moth across the UK from 2006 to 2023. The oak processionary moth is an invasive species that poses risks to oak trees and human health. I used spatial statistics and replicated results from previous research to model their spread. My PhD project continues this line of work and involves a collaboration with the Forestry Commission and the University of Southampton (Geo-data).
