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Description of Biometrics

The original definition of biometrics or Biometry is the science that involves the mathematical and statistical analysis of biological observations and phenomena.

However, the computer industry has adopted the word and changed its meaning and now, to most people, 'biometrics' means the verification of peoples' identities using their unique measured characteristics.

Our Biometrics group provides the "original" and definitive statistical service to research projects supported by the Department of Agriculture and Food. Members of the group provide a professional statistical service to the Department in the areas of

• experimental design and survey design,
• statistical analysis of experimental data,
• provision and maintenance of the site license of the GenStat® statistical program, which is the major statistical software used by many agricultural research centres in Australia, U.K. and New Zealand,
• training in statistical methods,
• training and support for the GenStat® software,
• training and support for the R Statistical System.

The biometricians or mathematical-statisticians in the group are:

• Andrew van Burgel - biometrician, general consulting, Albany region
• Mario D'Antuono - senior biometrician, general consulting

Other staff working in the field of Biometry

• Katia Stefanova - senior biometrician, seconded to University of Western Australia as part of the restructuring of the National GRDC project called SAGI
• Jane Speijers retired on June 16, 2011
• Peter Clarke  retired on June 22, 2010

Other links of interest are

• Statistical Society of Australia Inc
• The International Biometric Society
• Australasian Region of The International Biometric Society
• GenStat

Andrew Van Burgel

Phone: 9892 8550
Fax: 9841 2707
Email: andrew.vanburgel@agric.wa.gov.au
Location: Albany
Biometrician, BSc (Hons in statistics)
Special interests:

• Pasture/Animal experiments
• Surveys and sampling distributions
• Graphing in Excel and R

Mario D'Antuono

Phone: (08) 9368 3848
Fax: (08) 9368 2958
Email: mario.dantuono@agric.wa.gov.au
Senior Biometrician, BSc (Hons in statistics)
Special interests:

• R Statistical system
• Wheat agronomy research
• Weed Science research
• Biometrical methods for the agricultural sciences: The 5Rs. (in preparation)

Katia Stefanova

Email: katia.stefanova@agric.wa.gov.au
Senior Biometrician, PhD (Statistics)

Location: Plant Breeding Education and Research, International Centre for (ICPBER) from July 2011
Special interests:

• National Variety Testing
• Experimental designs for plant breeding trials
• Analysis of data from plant breeding trials (ASReml)

  Page updated: 7 July 2011