My interests are in designing effective and cost-effective control programmes against infectious diseases. This entails a mixture of mathematical models, statistical and economic analysis, and sociological studies (trying to understand how we mix, so that we can model the spread of diseases better). The emphasis is placed on the application of these methods to real-world problems to enable decision-makers to optimise the design of public-health control programmes. I have published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in this field (confusingly my initials are WJ Edmunds!) and I have acted as an advisor on national and international committees on many occasions on topics ranging from HPV vaccination to pandemic influenza.

Before joining the School I was the Head of the Modelling and Economics Unit at the HPA (now called Public Health England), and I still work with colleagues in PHE very closesly on issues related to the UK vaccination programme and influenza.