Intellex Acquires Expert by Big Village

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Expert Details

Geostatistics, Multivariate Statistics, Site Characterization, Uncertainty Modeling, Sampling Design

ID: 731766 Michigan, USA

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Expert has 20 year experience in the geostatistical analysis of environmental data and health outcomes. He has more than 140 referred
publications in the field of theoretical and applied geostatistics, including the 4th most highly cited textbook in geostatistics, totaling 10,000
citations. This demonstrates not only his expertise in spatial statistics but also his ability to communicate technical results in clear and layman
terms. He has been teaching short courses on all six continents, which were attended by academics, consultants and federal employees.

Since 2002, expert has been a sub-contractor on numerous projects dealing with the characterization of air, soil, sediments and water pollution
and its impact on human health. Clients include federal and local agencies (Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, SJWMD, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department), foreign organizations (French Institute for Radiological Protection and
Nuclear Safety, French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks), Universities (University of Nebraska, University of Michigan,
Florida A&M University, Tufts University, University of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium), individuals and private companies (CDM, CSC,
Scoreboard, Terumo, ERIM, STRATUS consulting). Duties ranged from reviewing report and conducting (geo)statistical analysis of
environmental data, including sampling design and remediation plan, to the development of new methodologies and customized programs for
performing such analysis.

He is an expert is geostatistical interpolation (univariate and multivariate interpolation, two-dimensional and three-dimensional kriging, space-time
interpolation), change of spatial support, modeling and propagation of uncertainty (parametric and non-parametric approach, stochastic simulation,
Monte-Carlo methods), detection of spatial outliers (cluster and boundary analysis, spatial pattern recognition), tests of hypothesis and regression
(aspatial and geographically-weighted regression, landuse regression), multivariate analysis (principal component analysis, discriminant analysis,
classification), and spatial epidemiology (analysis of individual-level and aggregated data, exposure reconstruction, cluster detection). The list of
his past projects includes: 1. incorporation of both wind rose information and field data in the geostatistical estimation and simulation of arsenic
concentration around Tacoma smelter, followed by the computation of the probability of exceeding specific arsenic levels with given reliability at
residential and block-group levels, 2. mapping of the spatial distribution of 43 different soil pollutants (organic and inorganic) over the entire
Walloon region (16,844 km2) using data collected during several sampling campaigns, models of atmospheric depositions in urban areas,
information on soil type and landuse, 3. development of a space-time geostatistical approach for estimating air pollutant concentrations at
addresses of patients participating to an epidemiological study investigating relationships between exposure to ambient air pollution and
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, 4. geostatistical incorporation of field and atmospheric deposition data from the Midland incinerator for
modeling the spatial distribution of soil dioxin at the census-tract level and computing the probability of exceeding specific thresholds, 5.
geostatistical modeling of groundwater concentration in Arsenic in Michigan, followed by exposure reconstruction to explore relationship between
arsenic in drinking water and bladder cancer, 6. development of estimates of the spatial extent and degree of oiling along Louisiana following
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

As a private consultant on the Tacoma Smelter Plume project (biggest case of soil arsenic contamination in the US), Expert: 1) designed a sampling scheme that accommodates the resources available (i.e. number of samples) and criteria set by Ecology (e.g. target areas of largest uncertainty about arsenic concentrations or the probability of exceeding specific arsenic levels), and 2) compared the power of different composite sampling design options when deciding whether the average arsenic concentration within a residential parcel exceeds or not specific thresholds. This information was used to design a residential sampling and remediation program that is currently under way. Expert has provided his expertise on the "Dioxin Exposure Study" conducted by the University of Michigan. Elevated levels of dioxins have been found in the soil of the Tittabawassee River flood plain and nearby areas. Beginning in the fall of 2004, the University of Michigan conducted a two-year study to find out whether the elevated levels of dioxins in the soil in the city of Midland, and in the Tittabawassee River flood plain between Midland and Saginaw, have also caused elevated levels of dioxins in residents' bodies. His main duties involved the geostatistical incorporation of field and atmospheric deposition data from the incinerator for modeling the spatial distribution of soil dioxin in Midland. This information was used to design a second sampling campaign during which soil and blood samples were collected. Expert is currently assisting Stratus Consulting in developing estimates of the spatial extent and degree of oiling along Louisiana shorelines resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Expert has conducted a geostatistical evaluation of soil arsenic background level for a former commercial property, followed by a 3D modeling of the spatial distribution of soil lead and arsenic concentrations and delineation of areas that exceed the clean up level. Expert has provided written and oral review of XS’ AgVeritas product methodology to analyze spatially-reference data in the area of precision agriculture.

Education

Year Degree Subject Institution
Year: 1992 Degree: PhD Subject: Agriculture engineering Institution: Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Year: 1987 Degree: BS Subject: Agriculture engineering Institution: Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Work History

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2008 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: Geostatistician Department:
Responsibilities:
He provides expertise on the sampling and geostatistical modeling of contaminated sediments in rivers and lakes, design of remediation plans and characterization of remediated areas.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2006 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: Courtesy Associate Professor Department: Soil and Water Science Department
Responsibilities:
He teaches short course on geostatistics and advises graduate students.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2003 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: President Department:
Responsibilities:
He acts as a consultant for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and he is bringing his expertise to numerous projects in US and Europe dealing with the characterization of air, soil, sediment and water pollution and its impact on human health.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2002 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: Chief Scientist Department:
Responsibilities:
He conducts NIH funded research on the development of geostatistical methodology for the analysis of health and environmental data. He has been developing and implementing in the software SpaceStat new techniques for mapping, cluster and boundary analysis of health outcomes, with a particular focus on cancer. Expert has authored more than 160 refereed papers in the field of theoretical and applied geostatistics.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1997 to 2002 Employer: University of Michigan Title: Assistant Professor Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Responsibilities:
He taught classes in hydrology, statistics and probability, and geostatistics. He advised students and conducted research funded by NSF and DOD on the use of geostatistics for environmental site characterization and detection of UXOs.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1995 to 1997 Employer: Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium Title: Senior Research Assistant Department: Environmental Sciences and Land Management
Responsibilities:
He taught classes in statistics and probability, and geostatistics. He advised students and conducted research in theoretical and applied geostatistics
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1993 to 1994 Employer: Stanford University Title: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Department: Geological and Environmental Sciences
Responsibilities:
He conducted research in the area of environmental and petroleum geostatistics within Stanford Center for Reservoir Forecasting. He wrote the reference textbook "Geostatistics for Natural Resources Evaluation".

Government Experience

Years Agency Role Description
Years: 2002 to 2002 Agency: Fields Groups, USEPA Region 5 Role: Subcontractor for TAMS Consultant Description: He reviewed he Report entitled "A Geostatistical Assessment of Metals in Passaic River Sediment", and conducted additional geostatistical analysis.
Years: 2013 to 2013 Agency: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Role: Subcontractor Description: He prepared a series of data sets for testing syndromic surveillance methods. Data sets had to be based on observed NYC emergency department data from 2004–2012 and include a combination of outbreak types, duration, season and magnitude. Simulated outbreaks covering the following five different syndromes needed to be inserted into NYC emergency department data (January 1, 2010–December 31, 2011): Diarrhea, vomit, fever, respiratory, and influenza-like illness (ILI). He developed an interface that enables NYC DOHMSH to generate new simulated outbreaks as needed.
Years: 2012 to 2013 Agency: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Role: Subcontractor Description: As part of the Tacoma Smelter Plume project, he developed a revised mapping methodology-protocol to incorporate both wind rose information and field data in the geostatistical mapping of arsenic concentration estimates and the probability of exceeding specific arsenic levels.He estimated the proportion of residential parcels exceeding specific arsenic thresholds at the block group level and developed power curves for various composite sampling strategies. The results of this project are being used to design a residential sampling and remediation program.

International Experience

Years Country / Region Summary
Years: 2011 to 2013 Country / Region: Belgium Summary: The overall objective of the project was to map the spatial distribution of 43 different soil pollutants (organic and inorganic) over the entire Walloon region (16,844 km2) using data collected during several sampling campaigns, models of atmospheric depositions in urban areas, information on soil type and landuse. Expert developed and applied advanced geostatistical techniques to detect spatial outliers and combine all these sources of information in the high-resolution mapping (500 m spacing) of soil pollution.
Years: 2013 to 2013 Country / Region: France Summary: Accidents at nuclear power plants can lead to the contamination of vast territories and the substantial loss of agricultural productions, depending on various factors, such as land-cover around the plant or meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. Expert was asked by the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) to conduct a preliminary probabilistic assessment of the agricultural consequences of an accident occurring at a French nuclear power plant.
Years: 2011 to 1915 Country / Region: China & South Korea Summary: Expert has taught five shortcourses on the Application of Geostatistics to Environmental Epidemiology.
Years: 2011 to 2011 Country / Region: India Summary: Expert has taught two 5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data".
Years: 2010 to 2010 Country / Region: Niger Summary: Expert has taught a 5 day short course “Introduction Course to Methods for Spatio-temporal Analysis of Exposure and Health Data

Career Accomplishments

Associations / Societies
He is a member of the IAMG and EGU.
Professional Appointments
He is associate editor of Mathematical Geosciences since October 2009.
Awards / Recognition
Award for the best paper published in "Mathematical Geology", Firmin Van Brée Fellow of the Hoover foundation of the Belgian American Educational Foundation. Fulbright Research Scholarship, Stanford University. Recipient of the Andrei Borisovich Vistelius Research Award attributed by the International Association of Mathematical Geology for an original and outstanding contribution, as a young scientist, to the application of mathematics and informatics to the earth sciences. Award for the best paper in Pedometrics published. Distinguished Lecturer Award, International Association of Mathematical Geology.
Publications and Patents Summary
He has 160 publications in referred journals and conference proceedings, and a textbook on geostatistics published by OUP.

Additional Experience

Expert Witness Experience
I have been working with attorneys on a couple of projects (sediment contamination in Portland Harbor, Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill) but cases were settled before going to court.
Training / Seminars
18 hr short course on Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data, Faculty of Agriculture (UCL, Belgium), attendance: 12. 9 hr short course on Spatial Data Analysis, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland), attendance: 15. 15 hr seminar on geostatistics, Snowden Mining Industry Consultants PtY Ltd (Perth), attendance: 14. 10 hr short course on modeling of local uncertainty and stochastic simulation, Edith Cowan University (ECU, Perth), attendance: 10. 9 hr short course on Spatial Data Analysis, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland), attendance: 20. 8 hr short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, Institute for Statistics and Information Management of the New University of Lisbon, attendance: 25. 1.5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Spatial Data”, The University of Michigan, attendance: 15. 1.5 day short course “Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis”, The University of Michigan, attendance: 10. 5 day short course “Advanced Spatial Analysis Workshop for Public Health”, Olympia (WA), attendance: 10. 2 day short course “Introduction to Geostatistical Analysis of Spatial Data”, The University of Michigan, 2 day short course “Advanced Geostatistical Analysis of Spatial Data”, The University of Michigan, 5 day short course “Advanced Spatial Analysis Workshop for Public Health and Biosurveillance”, Ann Arbor, attendance: 10. 5 day short course “Advanced Spatial Analysis Workshop for Public Health and Biosurveillance”, Ann Arbor, attendance: 8. 4 day short course “Advanced Spatial Analysis Workshop for Public Health”, in-house at Chicago Dept of Public Health, attendance: 16. 5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, Florida, India, Utah, Portugal, attendance: 25 per course. 5 day short course “Introduction Course to Methods for Spatio-temporal Analysis of Exposure and Health Data”, Geneva, attendance: 10. 5 day short course “Introduction Course to Methods for Spatio-temporal Analysis of Exposure and Health Data”, Paris, attendance: 15. 4 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, in-house at US EPA Region 5, Chicago, attendance: 13. 5 day short course “Introduction Course to Methods for Spatio-temporal Analysis of Exposure and Health Data”, Niamey (Niger), attendance: 20. 5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, Hyderabad (India), attendance: 15. 5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, Utah State University, Logan, attendance: 21. 5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, University of Florida, Gainesville, attendance: 13. 2 day short course “Application of Geostatistics to Environmental Epidemiology”, Beijing (China), attendance: 140. 2 day short course “Traitement de Données Spatialisées”, INERIS, Verneuil-en-Halatte, attendance: 15. 2 day short course “Application of Geostatistics to Environmental Epidemiology”, Beijing (China), attendance: 50. 5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, University of Evora, Portugal, attendance: 7. 5 day short course “Geostatistical Analysis of Environmental Data”, in-house at French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safe
Other Relevant Experience
Expert in spatial and applied statistics and combine a strong academic background with good knowledge of environmental industries and problems encountered in the "real world". He can explain complex statistical concepts in layman terms. Because of his highly cited book, his is recognized and respected in both the academic and industrial communities related to geostatistical site characterization and uncertainty modeling,

Language Skills

Language Proficiency
French Mother tongue

Fields of Expertise

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