Greg Distiller

Greg Distiller

Greg is an Associate Professor in the department of Statistical Sciences at the University of Cape Town.

His primary area of research is statistical ecology. His PhD involved developing a continuous-time (CT) framework for spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models. The CT SCR framework treats detections as a temporal Poisson process and uses an encounter rate function to model the actual times of capture. Using a CT framework avoids having to impose an artificial construct on the data for analytical convenience, allows one to learn about animal behaviour, facilitates a parsimonious and flexible way to model heterogeneity in detection, and leads to a likelihood for single-catch traps. He also works with non-spatial capture-recapture models and occupancy models.

Before returning to University to pursue postgraduate studies in statistics, he completed a degree in Business Science with an honours in marketing and worked in the internet industry for a few years. He also worked as a game ranger at Mala Mala for a year before going travelling in India and South East Asia.