Tom Connolly, BSc, PhD

 

Statistician, Biometrics, Surveys and Statistics Division

Email: thomas.connolly@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Tel: +44 (0)131 445 2176
Tel direct: +44 (0)131 445 6903
Fax: +44 (0)131 445 5124

Address:
Forest Research
Northern Research Station
Roslin
Midlothian EH25 9SY
UK

Tom Connolly joined Forest Research as a research statistician in 1997. He took an honours degree in statistics at Glasgow University (1985-89) and was awarded a statistics Ph.D. at Heriot-Watt University (1989-92). In 1993 he completed a six-month study in specific case analysis with Dr. Colin Aitken at Edinburgh University and the Home Office Police Research Group in London. Tom then joined Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS) as a consultant statistician (1993-97).

Current role

Statistician, Biometrics, Surveys and Statistics Division

• Providing a statistical consultancy service to researchers at Forest Research Northern Research Station.
• Designing experiments, analysing data and refereeing Forest Research publications with a significant statistical content.
• Liaising with project leaders on all aspects of experimental design and analysis.

Current programmes

Intra and interspecific geneflow in oaks (OAKFLOW)
Statistical consultant, analysing genetic data from oak trees, acorns and seedlings to determine parentage and extent of gene flow.

Selection and testing of conifers
Statistical consultant, analysing multi-trait individual-tree data using a pedigree structure.

Silviculture and timber properties
Statistical consultant, assessing the effect of site factors, e.g., windiness, elevation or yield class, on timber straightness and quality.

Affiliations and achievements

Co-recipient of the 1997 P.W. Allen Award presented by the Forensic Science Society for the paper “Statistical modelling in specific case analysis” (Aitken et. al., 1996).

Research areas

• Spatial indices for the quantification of tree stand dynamics
• Modelling gene flow in oak and cherry using microsatellite data
• Modelling the effect of stand parameters on compression wood

Main recent publications

Green, S., Peng, G., Connolly, T. and Boyetchko, S.M. (2004). Effect of Moisture and Temperature on Disease of Green Foxtail Caused by Drechslera gigantea and Pyricularia setariae. Plant Disease Vol. 88 No. 6.
 
Lee, S. J. and Connolly, T. (2004). Selection of parents for the Corsican pine breeding population in Britain. Forestry Vol. 77 No. 3.