About the Authors
Daniel Gillis (he/him)
Daniel Gillis is an Associate Professor, Statistician, and Interdisciplinary researcher in the School of Computer Science, and the former Director of the Physical Science and Engineering Education Research Centre in the College of Engineering and Physical Science at the University of Guelph. He is a member of the steering committee for Royal City Science (which is working to bring a bricks-and-mortar science center to the City of Guelph), as well as the Community Pet Care Project Advisory Council (which is developing tools to support families who are struggling to afford pet care). Previously he sat on the steering committee for the SEED Guelph – which continues to innovate the emergency food system in Guelph. He is an affiliate faculty member of the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research, the One Health Institute, and the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses. Previously he served on the Professional Advisory Committee for the Computer Science program at Sheridan College, and the eNuk Scientific Advisory Panel, as well as on the advisory panels for several businesses/startups, including the RightMesh Scientific Advisory Panel, and the Veranda Scientific Advisory Panel.
Dr. Gillis has several community-engaged or community-led research programs. These include 1) public health and ecological risk assessment, 2) community-engaged software design, 3) bridging the digital divide, and 4) transdisciplinary pedagogy in higher education. He is also co-founder of Farm To Fork, co-creator of ICON, co-founder of GuelphHacks and the Improve Life Challenge, and co-creator of the Gryphons Care Initiative.
You can learn more about Dr. Gillis and the work that happens in his lab here. You can find him on social media here.
Kurtis Sobkowich (he/him)
Kurtis is an epidemiologist, skilled in population-level research methodologies, data visualization and dashboard development. He has had a passion for asking questions since he was a kid, which has led him to a career of doing so in a more formal fashion. He enjoys delving into new fields and teaching himself new skills. Learn more about his work by checking out his current projects, recent publications, and previous dashboards here.