Dr Aleysha Thomas

Qualification

Doctor of Philosophy for thesis entitled: Ensemble Statistical Modelling of Risk Factors in Health

Bachelor of Science (Genetics), University of Queensland

Bachelor of Journalism, University of Queensland

Research Interests

• Mixture Models
• Decision Trees (CARTs, BRTs)
• Bayesian Networks
• Genetics
• Patient Health Information

Project

The aim of my PhD project is to identify sub-groups of Parkinson’s disease patients using their patient profile information including their symptoms, risk factors, genetics and exposure to persistent organic pollutants. This research will have considerable impact on personalised treatments for patients and the ability to detect patterns in patient information.

About Me

I consider myself a perpetual student. During the last two years of undergraduate study, I was fortunate to intern with Prof. Kerrie Mengersen twice on separate projects. The dominoes fell and I enrolled into a research Masters program with Prof. Mengersen. My intention was and is to absorb all I can about Bayesian statistics. This has now continued with converting my degree to a PhD.

There are many challenges with shifting between areas of research interest. It is a steep learning curve with a lot of ‘holding my breath when thrown into the deep end’. Nonetheless, it is a surprisingly exhilarating feeling to understand a statistical model and get it to work.

Contact Details

aleysha.thomas@hdr.qut.edu.au