Prof Niamh Cahill

Mathematics and Statistics, Hamilton Institute, ICARUS

Professor

Logic House
223
(01) 708 6544
Biography

Biography

My research ethos is to develop statistical models that will help address problems relating to societal and environmental concerns.  I publish peer-reviewed papers in statistical, environmental science and public health journals.  One aspect of my research specifically focuses on the development of statistical models to assess and interpret indicators of climate change including sea-level change and sea-level extremes.  Exploring and quantifying the spatial non-uniformity and the uncertain magnitude of current and future sea-level rise and extreme sea-levels that lead to flooding  aids in addressing the unique challenges faced by coastal risk-management decision makers in relation to developing coastal mitigation and adaptation strategies. As well as this I work on the statistical analysis of population-level health trends, specifically family-planning indicators, on a national and sub-national level, with a focus on the world's poorest countries. Assessing progress towards meeting family planning targets and goals, including those associated with contraceptive use is crucial to meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health (Goal 3) and gender equality and women’s empowerment.

I use a Bayesian approach to statistical modeling, which is suitable for developing complex hierarchical models, accounts of uncertainties related to model parameters, incorporates prior knowledge, and shares information across data populations. My research covers a range of statistical disciplines including: stochastic processes; time series analysis; computation and simulation; and multivariate analysis.

Research Publications Professional Teaching