Peter Rankin

Interdisciplinary applied and basic research

The major theme of Peter's work is using a broad research background and high-level statistical skills to answer applied and basic research questions. Previously, he focused on environmental conservation and marine science. In the present, he has transitioned into developmental psychology, early education and care, and child development. The future focus for Peter's work is examining inter-individual differences in intra-individual process of development. That is, establishing patterns of change in child developmental outcomes and examining how characteristics of the individuals influence individual variation in response to unique and shared developmental experience. This will help establish, from a developmental lens, what works, and what works for whom.

Methodological rigour

The second theme of Peter's work is methodological rigour. His work has outlined the limits of knowledge, and critically reflected on limitations within research areas and scoped improvement. This includes work on better estimation strategies for analytical models, improving and understanding psychometric measurement, and critically evaluating bodies of evidence to understand gaps in knowledge and providing suggestions to improve research design and analytical practice. His focus on methodology remains a focal point moving forwards.

Statistical leadership

The third theme is statistical leadership. A major component of Peter's work is providing leadership to multiple research teams on appropriate statistical methodology. Peter’s statistical leadership has informed several key discoveries, including how activity and time of day influences assessments of childcare quality and the link between emotional quality of early education and cognitive development.