My research aims to use statistical models to better understand the geographic spread of mosquito-transmitted viruses and optimise strategies for their control and spans three main areas:
1. Mapping the global distribution of dengue, chikungunya and Zika and estimating their true burden to track progress towards global targets
2. Understanding and predicting the geographic spread of dengue and Zika to design new strategies to contain the spread of pandemics
3. Developing and optimising the use of novel interventions for dengue control including real time outbreak forecasting and accelerating the adoption of novel mosquito control tools like Wolbachia.
To achieve these aims, I develop and apply advanced statistical and mechanistic models in Bayesian frameworks to high resolution climate, demographic and socioeconomic data. Key to my work is close collaboration with ministries of health and a partnership with WHO to develop strategies and guidelines that ultimately aim to contain these expanding arboviral diseases.
At LSHTM I lead the Dengue Mapping and Modelling Group, which is currently comprised of a team of 8 PhD students, post-docs and early career faculty members. Our work is supported by a range of research funders including the MRC, the Wellcome Trust, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization and the AXA Research Foundation.
Affiliations
Centres
Teaching
I teach on MSc modules including modelling, study design, machine learning, spatial epidemiology, epidemiology of infectious diseases and integrated vector management. I also teach and organise the Introduction to Spatial Analysis in R short course.