Ecology ∩ Statistics ∩ Data Science

Welcome! I am a data scientist at Getty Images where I work on many fun projects, including the search trends tool VisualGPS Insights.

I also do research in ecology and was formerly a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Broadly, I am interested in developing accurate and/or useful models of biological systems, especially systems that are stochastic, multivariate, and that change over time.

Recent research has focused on range expansion, winegrape phenology, and insect life history. Read more here.

You can download my CV here.

You can email me here.

News

  • 2022 April: I have joined Getty Images as a Data Scientist. Goodbye R and hello python.

  • 2022 March: Paper on effects of temperature on leaf miners accepted by Ecological Monographs. Check out the appendix for details about the mixture model I developed.

  • 2021 August: I wrote a parody song about a fabled land called R1 Institution. Hope you enjoy!

  • 2021 March: Paper on effects of stochasticity on competition accepted by Journal of Animal Ecology.

  • 2020 September: Paper examining how interspecific competition affects range expansion accepted by PNAS.

Research

Range shifts

The geographic ranges of many species are shifting as a result of climate change and human introductions. I use modelling to understand precisely how these shifts occur and what, if any, interventions can stop or slow them.

Recent work (Legault et al. 2020) focusing on shifts in one dimension found that competitive interactions affect both the speed and shape of range expansion.

Experimental data showing the impact of interspecific competition on range expansion across 8 generations. Lines are mean abundances across 16 patch landscapes (15 replicates). Shaded areas are 95% confidence intervals for generation 8.

Fit of a stochastic growth model for Tribolium castaneum (left) and Tribolium confusum (right). Points are experimental data and slices show parts of the three-dimensional probability volume of the fitted model (warmer colors = higher probability). N is abundance of T. castaneum and M is abundance of T. confusum.

Winegrape phenology

Phenology, the timing of biological events, is a key determinant of lifetime fitness, species interactions, and ecosystem functioning. I develop new classes of phenological models, with a focus on those that can be applied to winegrapes.

Gathering data for model validation (i.e., grapes) in the Okanagan Valley, BC (August 2021).

Life history trade-offs

Life history traits (e.g., maturation time, mass at maturity) frequently co-vary and exhibit important trade-offs. Characterizing such trade-offs is necessary for predicting lifetime fitness and optimal evolutionary strategies. I develop and validate multivariate life history models (e.g., Legault and Kingsolver 2020), in order to better understand how these trade-offs manifest in natural systems.

Diagram and associated contour plot of a multivariate life history model of Manduca sexta development.

Resources

Legault et al. 2020: Data and R Scripts for reproducing the analysis of range expansion. Click here to download the repository.

Legault and Kingsolver 2020: R Scripts for simulating stochastic model of insect development. Click here to download the repository.

Legault et al. 2019: R Scripts for simulating stochastic consumer-resource model. Click here to download the repository