His academic training was in zoology and statistics. He has spent most of his career teaching applied statistics to agricultural, veterinary and medical audiences. His research background is quite broad, but with a focus on quantitative genetics, and epidemiology, often with a ‘big data’ perspective. However, increasingly, his interests are in international agricultural development, assisting in-country researchers implementing and evaluating their programs, and developing their research skills. He has been involved in development projects and capacity building in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Tibet, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.