She studied mathematics at Cambridge, then moved to Scotland to do a PhD in statistics at the University of St Andrews. In 1999, she took up a two-year postdoctoral position in New Zealand, and is somehow still there. She has particular enthusiasm for communicating mathematical statistics to students from varied backgrounds, by focusing on concepts and seeking out the common-sense everyday experience in formulas and equations. She was awarded a New Zealand National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award in 2009. Her research focuses on statistical ecology and population genetics, particularly for conserving and restoring New Zealand's spectacular natural heritage. She is an Associate Editor of Biometrics, and a former Associate Editor of JABES.