The University of Cape Town invites you to an inaugural lecture by Professor Res Altwegg.

Professor Res Altwegg from the Department of Statistical Sciences will present his inaugural lecture titled “Adventures in Statistical Ecology”.

Date: Thursday, 8 May 2025
Time: 17:45 SAST
Venue: HOERI LT2, Hoerikwaggo Building, Upper Campus, UCT

How many rhinos live in Kruger National Park? Is their population declining? If so, how certain are we about it? What are the causes of this decline, and how effective are our conservation measures? Statistical ecology provides the tools to answer these types of questions using data.

I will take you on a journey through some of the projects I’ve worked on and give you an idea of the exciting range of pressing questions in ecology, the environment, and conservation that statistical ecologists address.

About the speaker

Res Altwegg obtained his PhD in Biology from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Through multiple postdoctoral positions at the University of Victoria in Canada and the University of Cape Town (UCT), and while working as a statistical ecologist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, Res Altwegg delved deeper into statistics. In 2013, he joined UCT's Department of Statistical Sciences, where he established and currently leads the Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment, and Conservation. Furthermore, he held a research chair with the African Climate and Development Initiative from 2014 to 2016. Res Altwegg’s research interests encompass the broad field of statistical ecology, with a particular focus on population ecology, wildlife demography, and the modelling of species distributions. His research addresses critical questions related to climate change, conservation, and ecology in general.