Projects & Research

A selection of my research, deployed applications, and collaborative work spanning Bayesian inference, spatiotemporal modeling, machine learning, and science communication.

Live Application
Fish Trajectory Generator

Prototype R Shiny web application operationalizing PhD research on spatiotemporal forecasting for marine animal movement. Enables non-technical stakeholders (fisheries managers, ecologists) to run complex Bayesian predictions without coding.

Impact: Bridges academic research and real-world decision-making in fisheries management. Provides an intuitive interface for spatial trajectory imputation and forecasting.
R Shiny Bayesian Inference Spatiotemporal Modeling MCMC
Live Demo → Code (TBD)
Doctoral Research
Bayesian Animal Movement Models

Developed hierarchical Bayesian inference methods with custom hybrid Gibbs/Metropolis-Hastings MCMC samplers applied to marine animal telemetry data (salmon sharks, cobia). Dissertation title: "Bayesian Animal Movement Models."

Impact: Advances statistical methods for ecologists. Enables accurate prediction and imputation of animal movement trajectories from sparse satellite and acoustic data.
R C++/Rcpp Bayesian Inference MCMC Diagnostics HPC/Slurm
link (TBD) →
Collaborative Research
HHMI Education Project

Contributed to HHMI-funded research on educational outcomes, faculty presence, and inclusive teaching practices. Conducted statistical analysis, data visualization, and contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications in education research.

Impact: Published work demonstrating impact of inclusive teaching on student belonging and engagement in STEM. Presented at AAC&U conference.
Statistical Analysis R Data Visualization Research Design
First Journal Article →
Consulting
Applied Statistics Across Domains

Provided statistical consulting to 15+ research projects across medicine, public health, finance, and psychology. Tailored statistical methods to study design, implemented GLMs, supervised/unsupervised ML, and communicated findings to non-technical audiences.

Impact: Translated complex statistical concepts for researchers across disciplines. Strengthened research rigor and reporting standards.
Statistical Methods Data Visualization Consulting Technical Writing

Publications

Published
Saying It Aloud: Inclusive Teaching Statements Impact on Student Success and Engagement
Reid, J., Ahmadian, M., et al. (2025). Journal of College Science Teaching.
Read on Taylor & Francis →
Published
A new perspective to fish trajectory imputation: a spatiotemporal probability model for simulating acoustically tagged fish movement
Ahmadian, M., Boone, E. L., Chiu, G. S., & Weng, K. C. (2026). Journal of Applied Statistics: Environmental Statistics and Data Science.
Read on Taylor & Francis →
In Review
A Bayesian Inferential Approach to Stochastic Modeling of Intermittent Movement Trajectories, Applied to Pacific Salmon Sharks
Ahmadian, M., Boone, E. L., Chiu, G. S., Weng, K. C. (in preparation)
In Review
Moving Beyond Pedagogy: A Measurement of the Impact Faculty's Presence Has on the Learning Environment
Reid, J., Ahmadian, M., Wheeler, L., Jennings, D., Golding, S. E., Johnson, A. A. (in review)