About
I graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1996 with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, and again in 2000 with a PhD entitled "Temporal and Spatial Host-Pathogen Models with Diverse Types of Transmission".
I joined the Epidemiology group in 2000 as a mathematical modeller to investigate the transmission of E. coli O157 in a typical UK dairy herd and the role of contact behaviour in the transmission of E. coli O157 between individual animals. This was followed by several projects investigating the effects of climate change on the transmission of vector-borne diseases, in particular bluetongue. I then moved to modelling the transmission of liver fluke in cattle and sheep and assessing the potential effects of a novel vaccine. In 2019, I moved to the Department of Mathematical Sciences to work on a model that described the transmission of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) between farmed fish populations as a result of live animal movements and down-river spread. At the end of this project, I moved back to the Epidemiology group, now called the Department of Livestock and One Health, to develop further the liver fluke model.
Although my work focusses mostly on the transmission and control of diseases of veterinary animals, I have also been involved in modelling human infections including Zika and COVID-19. I was recently seconded to the Department of Mathematical Sciences, where I worked on a project assessing the impact of different vaccination strategies on Lassa fever in West Africa.
My latest project is also based in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and aims to identify the spatial and temporal spillover risks of highly pathogenic avian influenza to the poultry industry, poultry workers, owners of backyard flocks and the general public in Great Britain.
Key words: #fixedterm, infectious disease modelling