Peter Baker
Source: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/2181 Parent: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/2707
Dr
Peter Baker
Email: : p.baker1@uq.edu.au
Positions
Honorary Associate Professor : Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
Overview
Background
Dr Peter Baker is an Honorary Associate Professor at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
From 2021-2023, Peter was an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Queensland. For twelve years until the end of 2020, he was a Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics at the School of Public Health and a senior statistical collaborator, advisor and consultant to several research projects in the Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health.
With fourty years experience as a statistical consultant and researcher, Peter has a passion for biometrics in agricultural research and biostatistics applied to public health and medical research. He also champions reproducible research and reporting and to this end has developed R and Make software to aid the workflow of data analysts in any field. As a statistical consultant and collaborator, he has contributed to many agricultural, genetic, public health and medical research projects. His contribution has ranged from advice on standard statistical approaches to the application of novel methods to improve statistical analysis or the development of new statistical methodology to fill a gap in the knowledge.
Peter's current research interests:
- efficient statistical computing using R, Make, Git and related software for the workflow of data analysis,
- reproducible research and reporting using R, Markdown, Quarto and Sweave,
- tailoring R functions and developing bespoke packages for specific statistical analyses, and
- applied statistlcal research in novel methods for epidemiological and medial research, including
- graphical models for multivariate data in epidemiology,
- statistical methods for modelling trajectories of alcohol consumption in youths,
- propensity score analysis to adjust for selection bias in observational studies, and
- Bayesian methods for epidemiological and medical MCMC studies.
Dr Baker is an Accredited Statistician (ASTAT) with the Statistical Society of Australia (see SSAI_Accreditation)
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Availability
Dr Peter Baker is: : Available for supervision
Fields of research
Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Biostatistics Crop and pasture production Health Sciences Mathematical Sciences Statistics
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), University of Adelaide
- Masters (Coursework), University of New South Wales
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
Research impacts
Peter is a highly experienced statistical consultant and researcher who worked at CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics for 20 years before joining the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland. Prior to this he was employed as a statistical consultant in enviironmental monitoring at the Electricity Commision of NSW, sports science at Cumberland College of Health Sciences, and agricultural research at NSW Agriculture. During his time at CSIRO, he worked in a range of areas including agricultural research, bioinformatics and quantitative genetics. Highlights: developed novel Bayesian methods for assessing marker dosage in sugarcane and other polyploids and applied false discovery rate methods to QTL analysis and microarrays.
In addition to collaborating with a range of applied scientists to advance scientific knowledge by employing standard and cutting-edge statistical methods, several projects have had practical significance to industry including timely alerts to graziers when drops in temperature are dangerous for lambing, improved soil moisture estimation for cotton production and enhancing quantitative methods for sugarcane breeding. Recent collaborative work has informed public policy on drink safe precincts and alcohol related problems, effectiveness of mosquito nets and the effect of sunscreen to prevent skin ageing.
When it can improve research outcomes, Peter is keen to apply new statistical methods to agricultural research, epidemiology, health and medical studies in order to extract the maximum information from study data. He is also an expert in, and advocate for, reproducible research and efficient statistical computing using the R statistical and graphics system.
R Clinics and Short Courses
- Please contact Peter if you would like a workshop or Introductory to Advanced R Course tailored to your needs.
Student Projects
- Developing or contributing to R packages for various aspects of the workflow of data analysis projects like data wrangling, cleaning, validation and reproducible reporting,
- Statistical and Graphical Models for crop modelling, agricultural research, and epidemiological and medical studies.
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Works
Search Professor Peter Baker’s works on UQ eSpace
All (76) Book (1) Journal Article (60) Conference Publication (14) Book Chapter (1)
2025
Journal Article
Enhancing green bean crop maturity and yield prediction by harnessing the power of statistical analysis, crop records and weather data
Mortlock, Miranda Y., Carey, David, Murray, Hamish, Baker, Peter J. and Corry, Paul G. (2025). Enhancing green bean crop maturity and yield prediction by harnessing the power of statistical analysis, crop records and weather data. PLoS One, 20 (3) e0306266, 1-20. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306266
2024
Journal Article
Using latent variable modelling to identify etiological heterogeneity in preterm delivery
Betts, Kim Steven, Alati, Rosa and Baker, Peter (2024). Using latent variable modelling to identify etiological heterogeneity in preterm delivery. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 60 (11), 741-748. doi: 10.1111/jpc.16660
Using latent variable modelling to identify etiological heterogeneity in preterm delivery
2023
Journal Article
Differences in temperature responses among phenological processes in diverse Ethiopian sorghum germplasm can affect their specific adaptation to environmental conditions
Tirfessa, Alemu, McLean, Greg, Baker, Peter, Mortlock, Miranda, Hammer, Graeme and van Oosterom, Erik (2023). Differences in temperature responses among phenological processes in diverse Ethiopian sorghum germplasm can affect their specific adaptation to environmental conditions. Annals of Botany, 131 (4), 601-611. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcad011
2023
Journal Article
Secular trends of birthweight in a population of live-born, singletons, without congenital anomalies in Queensland, Australia
Vilcins, Dwan, Baker, Peter, Jagals, Paul and Sly, Peter D. (2023). Secular trends of birthweight in a population of live-born, singletons, without congenital anomalies in Queensland, Australia. Journal of Public Health, 32 (4), 701-711. doi: 10.1007/s10389-023-01841-4
2022
Journal Article
Tobacco Harm Reduction with Vaporised Nicotine (THRiVe): a feasibility trial of nicotine vaping products for smoking cessation among people living with HIV
Edwards, Stephanie, Puljević, Cheneal, Dean, Judith A., Gilks, Charles, Boyd, Mark A., Baker, Peter, Watts, Peter, Howard, Chris and Gartner, Coral E. (2022). Tobacco Harm Reduction with Vaporised Nicotine (THRiVe): a feasibility trial of nicotine vaping products for smoking cessation among people living with HIV. AIDS and Behavior, 27 (2), 1-10. doi: 10.1007/s10461-022-03797-0
2021
Journal Article
The association of ambient temperature with extremely preterm births
Vilcins, Dwan, Baker, Peter, Jagals, Paul and Sly, Peter D. (2021). The association of ambient temperature with extremely preterm births. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 25 (10), 1638-1645. doi: 10.1007/s10995-021-03203-6
The association of ambient temperature with extremely preterm births
2021
Journal Article
Identifying the predictors of Covid-19 infection outcomes and development of prediction models
Ansari, Rashid M. and Baker, Peter (2021). Identifying the predictors of Covid-19 infection outcomes and development of prediction models. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 14 (6), 751-756. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.03.006
Identifying the predictors of Covid-19 infection outcomes and development of prediction models
2020
Journal Article
The association of fractional cover, foliage projective cover and biodiversity with birthweight
Vilcins, Dwan, Scarth, Peter, Sly, Peter D., Jagals, Paul, Knibbs, Luke and Baker, Peter (2020). The association of fractional cover, foliage projective cover and biodiversity with birthweight. Science of The Total Environment, 763 143051, 143051. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143051
The association of fractional cover, foliage projective cover and biodiversity with birthweight
2020
Journal Article
The double burden of malnutrition in Vietnamese school-aged children and adolescents: a rapid shift over a decade in Ho Chi Minh City
Mai, Thi My Thien, Pham, Ngoc Oanh, Tran, Thi Minh Hanh, Baker, Peter, Gallegos, Danielle, Do, Thi Ngoc Diep, van der Pols, Jolieke C. and Jordan, Susan J. (2020). The double burden of malnutrition in Vietnamese school-aged children and adolescents: a rapid shift over a decade in Ho Chi Minh City. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 74 (10), 1448-1456. doi: 10.1038/s41430-020-0587-6
2020
Journal Article
Using GNU Make to manage the workflow of data analysis projects
Baker, Peter (2020). Using GNU Make to manage the workflow of data analysis projects. Journal of Statistical Software, 94 (Code Snippet 1), 1-46. doi: 10.18637/jss.v094.c01
Using GNU Make to manage the workflow of data analysis projects
2020
Journal Article
Association of maternal and social characteristics with age-standardised birthweight
Vilcins, Dwan, Baker, Peter, Jagals, Paul and Sly, Peter D. (2020). Association of maternal and social characteristics with age-standardised birthweight. Journal of Public Health, 30 (2), 373-383. doi: 10.1007/s10389-020-01292-1
Association of maternal and social characteristics with age-standardised birthweight
2019
Journal Article
Longitudinal impact of the Women’s Health Initiative study on hormone therapy use in Australia
Natari, R. B., McGuire, T. M., Baker, P. J., Clavarino, A. M., Dingle, K. D. and Hollingworth, S. A. (2019). Longitudinal impact of the Women’s Health Initiative study on hormone therapy use in Australia. Climacteric, 22 (5), 489-497. doi: 10.1080/13697137.2019.1593357
Longitudinal impact of the Women’s Health Initiative study on hormone therapy use in Australia
2019
Journal Article
Response to letter to the editor: When does selection generate bias in clinical samples?
Saiepour, Nargess, Najman, Jackob M., Ware, Robert S., Baker, Peter, Clavarino, Alexandra and Williams, Gail M. (2019). Response to letter to the editor: When does selection generate bias in clinical samples?. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 116, 191-192. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.02.011
Response to letter to the editor: When does selection generate bias in clinical samples?
2019
Journal Article
Understanding the prevalence of smoking among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Australia and factors associated with smoking and quitting
Edwards, Stephanie K., Dean, Judith, Power, Jennifer, Baker, Peter and Gartner, Coral (2019). Understanding the prevalence of smoking among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Australia and factors associated with smoking and quitting. AIDS and Behavior, 24 (4), 1056-1063. doi: 10.1007/s10461-019-02535-3
2019
Journal Article
Better understanding the influence and complexity of beliefs on medication adherence in asthma
Foot, Holly, La Caze, Adam, Baker, Peter and Cottrell, Neil (2019). Better understanding the influence and complexity of beliefs on medication adherence in asthma. Patient Education and Counseling, 102 (3), 564-570. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2018.10.010
Better understanding the influence and complexity of beliefs on medication adherence in asthma
2019
Journal Article
Does attrition affect estimates of association: a longitudinal study
Saiepour, N., Najman, J. M., Ware, R., Baker, P., Clavarino, A. and Williams, G. M. (2019). Does attrition affect estimates of association: a longitudinal study. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 110, 127-142. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.12.022
Does attrition affect estimates of association: a longitudinal study
2018
Journal Article
Seroprevlance of Coxiella burnetii among abattoir and slaughterhouse workers: A meta-analysis
Woldeyohannes, Solomon M., Gilks, Charles F., Baker, Peter, Perkins, Nigel R. and Reid, Simon A. (2018). Seroprevlance of Coxiella burnetii among abattoir and slaughterhouse workers: A meta-analysis. One Health, 6, 23-28. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2018.09.002
Seroprevlance of Coxiella burnetii among abattoir and slaughterhouse workers: A meta-analysis
2018
Journal Article
Effect of piperacillin-tazobactam vs meropenem on 30-day mortality for patients with E coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection and ceftriaxone resistance: a randomized clinical trial
Harris, Patrick N. A., Tambyah, Paul A., Lye, David C., Mo, Yin, Lee, Tau H., Yilmaz, Mesut, Alenazi, Thamer H., Arabi, Yaseen, Falcone, Marco, Bassetti, Matteo, Righi, Elda, Rogers, Benjamin A., Kanj, Souha, Bhally, Hasan, Iredell, Jon, Mendelson, Marc, Boyles, Tom H., Looke, David, Miyakis, Spiros, Walls, Genevieve, Al Khamis, Mohammed, Zikri, Ahmed, Crowe, Amy, Ingram, Paul, Daneman, Nick, Griffin, Paul, Athan, Eugene, Lorenc, Penelope, Baker, Peter ... MERINO Trial Investigators and the Australasian Society for Infectious Disease Clinical Research Network (ASID-CRN) (2018). Effect of piperacillin-tazobactam vs meropenem on 30-day mortality for patients with E coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection and ceftriaxone resistance: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 320 (10), 984-994. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.12163
2018
Conference Publication
Cessation And Relapse Prevention (CARP) trial
Gartner, Coral, Boyd, Mark, Bonevski, Billie, Gilks, Charles, Borland, Ron, Courtney, Ryan, Cobiac, Linda, McRobbie, Hayden, Baker, Peter and Mueller, Jochen (2018). Cessation And Relapse Prevention (CARP) trial. The Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 5 November 2018.
Cessation And Relapse Prevention (CARP) trial
2018
Conference Publication
Cessation and relapse prevention trial: Vaporised nicotine products for people on opiate substitution therapy, or who are living with hepatitis C or HIV
Gartner, Coral, Boyd, Mark, Bonevski, Billie, Gilks, Charles, Borland, Ron, Courtney, Ryan, Cobiac, Linda, McRobbie, Hayden, Baker, Peter and Mueller, Jochen (2018). Cessation and relapse prevention trial: Vaporised nicotine products for people on opiate substitution therapy, or who are living with hepatitis C or HIV. APSAD 2018 Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 4–7 November 2018. Hoboken, NJ United States: Wiley.
Funding
Past funding
- 2017 - 2022
A Pragmatic Randomised Clinical Trial of Nicotine Vaporisers added to Smoking Cessation Treatment for Priority Populations Living with Comorbidities
NHMRC Project Grant
Open grant - 2015 - 2018
A harm reduction trial using novel nicotine replacement products among smokers who are living with HIV in Australia
HIVFQ HIV Research Grants
Open grant - 2013 - 2015
Very young adolescents and substance use: Community and family vulnerabilities and healthy developmental transitions.
ARC Discovery Projects
Open grant - 2009 - 2010
Advanced graphical modelling for causal inference in epidemiology
UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
Supervision
Availability
Dr Peter Baker is: : Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
- Doctor Philosophy
##### Unlocking the potential of crop resource use efficiencies
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Erik Van Oosterom, Dr Alex Wu - Doctor Philosophy
##### Dissection of genetics and physiology associated with improved transpiration efficiency in sorghum
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Erik Van Oosterom, Dr Alex Wu - Doctor Philosophy
##### Computer-aided sorghum crop design for optimising adaptation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Erik Van Oosterom, Dr Alex Wu
Completed supervision
- 2024
Doctor Philosophy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gail Williams - 2019
Doctor Philosophy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Hebe Gouda - 2021
Doctor Philosophy
##### Measurement and Loss to Follow-up in a Community-Based Cohort Study of Mental Health
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gail Williams - 2020
Doctor Philosophy
Associate Advisor - 2020
Doctor Philosophy
##### Novel green space measures and birthweight in Queensland, Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Sly - 2019
Doctor Philosophy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Judith Dean, Professor Coral Gartner - 2019
Doctor Philosophy
##### The Epidemiology of Q fever in Queensland, Australia and Effectiveness of Vaccination for Prevention
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Simon Reid - 2018
Doctor Philosophy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Hebe Gouda - 2016
Doctor Philosophy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Adam La Caze - 2016
Doctor Philosophy
Associate Advisor - 2014
Doctor Philosophy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gail Williams
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