Chris Robertson is a statistician whose long term research interests have focussed on the application and development of statistical modelling in epidemiology. Since 2002 he has had a joint appointment as Professor of Public Health Epidemiology in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and also at Heath Protection Scotland (HPS), Glasgow. From 1995 to 2001, he was Head of Biostatistics and Vice Director in Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the European Institute of Oncology, Milano. Prior to that he was a lecturer and senior lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics and Modelling Science at Strathclyde University. Presently his main research interest is in statistical modelling of infectious diseases and in designing epidemiological studies for disease surveillance systems. The focus is on the application and development of statistical models to support the function of Health Protection Scotland in protecting the population of Scotland from the effects of infectious diseases. He is currently involved with the Ethics Committee and the Data Safety Monitoring Committee of the International Breast Cancer Study Group, and with the West of Scotland Research Ethics Committee. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Interdisciplinary Centre for Human and Avian Influenza Research (Edinburg University), and of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Advisory Committee Subgroup on Modelling for the UK Department of Health.