Kathi Irvine, Ph.D.
I am a Research Statistician with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman, Montana.
Research Interest
Prior to finding my home in the federal system in 2011, I was an assistant professor at Montana State University (2008-2010). Since receiving my PhD in Statistics from Oregon State University in 2007, I have collaborated with ecologists and biologists charged with monitoring natural resources on federal and state lands. My team provides statistical support for monitoring programs led by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and state agencies. Our work involves development of survey design and analysis strategies for a variety of plants, animals, and other indicators. We currently support monitoring of whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, upland plant communities throughout the Western US, and bats across North America.
My applied statistical research involves developing analytical approaches for ordinal data and bat acoustic surveys that better link the ecological and observation process within a Bayesian framework, applications of causal analysis, investigating spatial sampling designs, and model-assisted methods for status and trend analyses. I mentor statistics students and support graduate research assistants at Montana State University (MSU). Several of my students have participated in writing peer-reviewed papers during their time at MSU. I encourage students interested in ecological statistics to contact me for possible graduate research assistantships, paid summer work, and other opportunities.
Related Projects:
https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/
Education and Certifications
PhD. Statistics. Oregon State University
MS. Statistics. Oregon State University; MS. Ecology and Environmental Sciences. University of Maine
BS. Biology. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Science and Products
Online supporting information for "Improving geographically extensive acoustic survey designs for modeling species occurrence with imperfect detection and misidentification" Online supporting information for "Improving geographically extensive acoustic survey designs for modeling species occurrence with imperfect detection and misidentification"
R code for fitting and simulation study for zero-augmented beta model with errors R code for fitting and simulation study for zero-augmented beta model with errors
Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019 Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019
Coupling validation effort with in situ bioacoustic data improves estimating relative activity and occupancy for multiple species with cross-species misclassifications Coupling validation effort with in situ bioacoustic data improves estimating relative activity and occupancy for multiple species with cross-species misclassifications
Resilience to fire and resistance to annual grass invasion in sagebrush ecosystems of US National Parks Resilience to fire and resistance to annual grass invasion in sagebrush ecosystems of US National Parks
Spatial Gaussian processes improve multi-species occupancy models when range boundaries are uncertain and nonoverlapping Spatial Gaussian processes improve multi-species occupancy models when range boundaries are uncertain and nonoverlapping
Advancements in analytical approaches improve whitebark pine monitoring results Advancements in analytical approaches improve whitebark pine monitoring results
Adaptive monitoring in action: Reconsidering design-based estimators reveals underestimation of whitebark pine disease prevalence in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Adaptive monitoring in action: Reconsidering design-based estimators reveals underestimation of whitebark pine disease prevalence in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring
Post-fire vegetation response in a repeatedly burned low-elevation sagebrush steppe protected area provides insights about resilience and invasion resistance Post-fire vegetation response in a repeatedly burned low-elevation sagebrush steppe protected area provides insights about resilience and invasion resistance
The use of Bayesian priors in Ecology: The good, the bad and the not great The use of Bayesian priors in Ecology: The good, the bad and the not great
Scientist’s guide to developing explanatory statistical models using causal analysis principles Scientist’s guide to developing explanatory statistical models using causal analysis principles
Assessing spatial and temporal patterns in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities 2012-2018: Grand Teton National Park Assessing spatial and temporal patterns in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities 2012-2018: Grand Teton National Park
Evidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors Evidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Online supporting information for "Improving geographically extensive acoustic survey designs for modeling species occurrence with imperfect detection and misidentification" Online supporting information for "Improving geographically extensive acoustic survey designs for modeling species occurrence with imperfect detection and misidentification"
R code for fitting and simulation study for zero-augmented beta model with errors R code for fitting and simulation study for zero-augmented beta model with errors
Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019 Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019
Coupling validation effort with in situ bioacoustic data improves estimating relative activity and occupancy for multiple species with cross-species misclassifications Coupling validation effort with in situ bioacoustic data improves estimating relative activity and occupancy for multiple species with cross-species misclassifications
Resilience to fire and resistance to annual grass invasion in sagebrush ecosystems of US National Parks Resilience to fire and resistance to annual grass invasion in sagebrush ecosystems of US National Parks
Spatial Gaussian processes improve multi-species occupancy models when range boundaries are uncertain and nonoverlapping Spatial Gaussian processes improve multi-species occupancy models when range boundaries are uncertain and nonoverlapping
Advancements in analytical approaches improve whitebark pine monitoring results Advancements in analytical approaches improve whitebark pine monitoring results
Adaptive monitoring in action: Reconsidering design-based estimators reveals underestimation of whitebark pine disease prevalence in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Adaptive monitoring in action: Reconsidering design-based estimators reveals underestimation of whitebark pine disease prevalence in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring
Post-fire vegetation response in a repeatedly burned low-elevation sagebrush steppe protected area provides insights about resilience and invasion resistance Post-fire vegetation response in a repeatedly burned low-elevation sagebrush steppe protected area provides insights about resilience and invasion resistance
The use of Bayesian priors in Ecology: The good, the bad and the not great The use of Bayesian priors in Ecology: The good, the bad and the not great
Scientist’s guide to developing explanatory statistical models using causal analysis principles Scientist’s guide to developing explanatory statistical models using causal analysis principles
Assessing spatial and temporal patterns in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities 2012-2018: Grand Teton National Park Assessing spatial and temporal patterns in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities 2012-2018: Grand Teton National Park
Evidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors Evidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.