Théophile L. Mouton
Hi, I'm Théophile (Theo)
I'm a data scientist with a PhD in macroecology and ten years of turning large, messy data into things people can use: interactive apps, reports that update themselves, statistical models and clear visualisations.
My path runs through research institutes, universities and international organisations in New Zealand, France and Switzerland. Today I work independently through DataSphere Analytics, for governments, research institutes, universities and NGOs.
What I do
Each area links to work you can open, run or read.
Interactive web apps
Shiny applications that let non-analysts explore, filter, map and export data on their own.
- FINS Explorer: 30,000 fossil shark and ray records (paper)
- DateBack: archaeobotany platform for IRD and CNRS
- Fishing fleet seasonality: Global Fishing Watch data
- Survey dashboard for Citizens for Europe, with continuous integration
Reproducible reporting
Quarto reports and slides generated straight from code, so every number traces back to the analysis.
- Disaster damage pipeline for the Government of Vanuatu, with Yan Holtz
- Live workshop report and self-updating slides, Global Fishing Watch Data Lab, Rome 2026
- Branded Quarto report template
Statistics, modelling and machine learning
From regression and null models to random forests, reinforcement learning and density surface models.
- Fishing effort beyond AIS: random forest on satellite radar
- Global conservation priorities with reinforcement learning (preprint)
- Humpback whale density surface model, NOAA survey data
Geospatial and satellite data
Large raster and vector datasets, vessel tracking and radar detections, turned into clear comparisons.
LLMs and automation
Pipelines that use large language models for structured extraction, with the statistics to check they're right.
- LLM-assisted literature extraction with the Claude API, validated against blind manual coding
- Automated reports that rebuild from a single configuration file
Data visualisation and teaching
A frequent collaborator of Yan Holtz, founder of the R Graph Gallery, the Python Graph Gallery and Data-to-Viz.
- Tutorials: chord diagram, Sankey with highlight, refugee flows
- Two international training workshops for 250+ participants, in Greece and South Africa
Coordination and stakeholders
Running international expert networks and translating analysis for decision-makers.
- Coordinated 60+ experts for the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group
- Regional compendia: Mediterranean and Black Seas, Western Indian Ocean
Web development
Modern front-end tools when a project needs more than a dashboard.
- Cuban Salsa Festivals, a multilingual international events directory: Astro, Tailwind CSS, MapLibre maps, a Python data pipeline, deployed on Cloudflare Pages
- This website, built with Jekyll and GitHub Pages
Toolkit
Where I've worked
DataSphere Analytics · IRD · University of Zurich · IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group · University of Montpellier (PhD) · CESAB, French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity · Ifremer · NIWA (New Zealand). Full details on the work experience page, and papers on the publications page.
What clients and collaborators say
He’s productive, solution-oriented, curious, and delivers top-quality work every time. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Theo built an efficient tool utilizing Shiny for generating plots and tables from our data, while ensuring everything aligned with our organization's mission and visual brand.
He is exceptionally organized, and his outputs, including Quarto scripts, were impeccable and well-documented.
Have data that should be doing more for you? I'd be glad to hear about it, whether it's a role, a short project or a training session for your team. Get in touch