Dr Richard Bradhurst is the creator and principal developer of AADIS (the Australian Animal DISease model, EuFMDiS (the European FMD model), and APPDIS (the Australian Plant Pest and Disease model).

Richard specialises in the fusion of multiple modelling approaches (mathematical, agent-based and cellular automata), to simulate the spatiotemporal spread and control of emergency animal diseases, plant and environmental pests, and human disease.

He collaborates with the Australian Department of Agriculture, the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries, ANU, CSIRO, the United Nations FAO, the United States Department of Agriculture, the European Food Safety Authority, the state veterinary services of Victoria, Qld and Western Australia, the state veterinary services of Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Romania & Slovenia, the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. 

He is currently a Research Fellow with the University of Melbourne, working with the School of Biosciences at the Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA).

Prior to this Richard was living in Canada, consulting at General Dynamics Canada;  on a series of firmware development contracts over nine years.  Major projects being Bowman Tactical Communications System, Apache Helicopter Bowman Connectivity, MESHnet Tactical Switch and Bowman Tactical Network Gateway.

He was also integral in developing software for Automated Air Traffic Control System (CAATS) for NAV Canada.  Although Richard loved living and working overseas for thirteen years, it was time to move back to Australia.   He returned to University to further advance his expertise in computational science at the University of New England where he was awarded a PhD scholarship funded under the Australian Government’s Animal Biosecurity Response and Reform Program.

Thesis: “Modelling the spatiotemporal spread and control of viral disease in livestock using a hybrid equation-based and agent-based approach ” supervised by Prof. Paul Kwan and Dr Graeme Garner AM.

This dynamic and popular computational model has now become what is known as AADIS.