Prof Len Thomas
Professor
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 1801
- len.thomas@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Office
- 201 OB
- Location
- Observatory
Research areas
I am a statistician based in the Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM) and School of Mathematics and Statistics (where I am joint head of the Division of Statistics). My research is motivated by ecological applications, particularly related to widlife conservation.
There are currently four main strands to my work:
- Development of methods and software for estimating the size, density and distribution of wild animal and plant populations. I mostly work on a group of related methods called distance sampling. A particular recent focus has been on the use of passive acoustics (i.e., recording sounds) to estimate the size of whale and dolphin populations.
- Use of computer intensive methods to fit and compare stochastic models of wildlife population dynamics. I mostly work on algorithms called particle filters.
- Inferences from animal-borne tags. This includes reconstructing animal tracks from noisy data about animal location, and inferring behavioural state from tag measurements.
- Development and application of methods for quantifying human-caused disturbance (particularly underwater sounds) on animal behaviour, and also the consequences of this disturbance for the animal populations.
For more information, please see my personal homepage.
PhD supervision
- Grace Edmondson
- Dinah Hartmann
- Savannah Rogers
- Mia Goldman
- Haoyu Liu
Selected publications
-
Open access
A unifying model for capture-recapture and distance sampling surveys of wildlife populations
Borchers, D. L., Stevenson, B. C., Kidney, D., Thomas, L. & Marques, T. A., 2015, In: Journal of the American Statistical Association. 110, 509, p. 195-204 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Novel survey method finds dramatic decline of wild cotton-top tamarin population
Savage, A., Thomas, L., Leighty, K., Soto, L. & Medina, F., 29 Jun 2010, In: Nature Communications. 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Continuous-time modelling of behavioural responses in animal movement
Michelot, T., Glennie, R., Thomas, L., Quick, N. J. & Harris, C. M., 1 Dec 2023, In: Annals of Applied Statistics. 17, 4, p. 3570-3588 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
First direct measurements of behavioural responses by Cuvier's beaked whales to mid-frequency active sonar
De Ruiter, S. L., Southall, B. L., Calambokidis, J., Zimmer, W. M. X., Sadykova, D., Falcone, E. A., Friedlaender, A. S., Joseph, J. E., Moretti, D., Schorr, G. S., Thomas, L. & Tyack, P. L., 2013, In: Biology Letters. 9, 4, p. 1-5 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Population consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on pelagic cetaceans
Marques, T. A., Thomas, L., Booth, C. G., Garrison, L. P., Rosel, P. E., Takeshita, R., Mullin, K. D. & Schwacke, L., 13 Jul 2023, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 714, 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Modeling the diving behavior of whales: a latent-variable approach with feedback and semi-Markovian components
Langrock, R., Marques, T. A., Baird, R. & Thomas, L., 2013, In: Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics. 19, 1, p. 82-100 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Using individual-based bioenergetic models to predict the aggregate effects of disturbance on populations: a case study with beaked whales and Navy sonar
Hin, V., de Roos, A. M., Benoit-Bird, K. J., Claridge, D. E., DiMarzio, N., Durban, J. W., Falcone, E. A., Jacobson, E. K., Jones-Todd, C. M., Pirotta, E., Schorr, G. S., Thomas, L., Watwood, S. & Harwood, J., 31 Aug 2023, In: PLoS ONE. 18, 8, e0290819.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Distance software: design and analysis of distance sampling surveys for estimating population size
Thomas, L., Buckland, S. T., Rexstad, E. A., Laake, J. L., Strindberg, S., Hedley, S. L., Bishop, J. R. B., Marques, T. A. & Burnham, K. P., 2010, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 47, 1, p. 5-14Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Understanding the combined effects of multiple stressors: a new perspective on a longstanding challenge
Pirotta, E., Thomas, L., Costa, D., Hall, A. J., Harris, C. M., Harwood, J., Kraus, S., Miller, P. J., Moore, M., Photopoulou, T., Rolland, R., Schwacke, L., Simmons, S., Southall, B. & Tyack, P. L., 15 May 2022, In: Science of the Total Environment. 821, 13 p., 153322.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review