We use mathematical models to answer questions about the transmission and control of infectious diseases. Our work primarily focuses on dengue, Zika, chikungunya, malaria, and other vector-borne diseases, but we take interest in other systems, too.
The guiding paradigm for our research is answering questions of biological significance with the aid of mechanistic mathematical models informed by biological knowledge and data. This approach is guided by the philosophy that appropriately constructed models represent the best understanding we have of a system. By articulating our biological understanding in a mathematical form, we then have the ability to challenge our understanding quantitatively, by confronting models with data, and qualitatively, by performing theoretical analyses. When things go wrong, we figure out why, we learn something, and we advance science.
Our research is organized according to three core themes.
The guiding paradigm for our research is answering questions of biological significance with the aid of mechanistic mathematical models informed by biological knowledge and data. This approach is guided by the philosophy that appropriately constructed models represent the best understanding we have of a system. By articulating our biological understanding in a mathematical form, we then have the ability to challenge our understanding quantitatively, by confronting models with data, and qualitatively, by performing theoretical analyses. When things go wrong, we figure out why, we learn something, and we advance science.
Our research is organized according to three core themes.
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of pathogen transmission and infectious disease incidence
Mosquito-borne pathogens are notorious for the extent to which their transmission is heterogeneous across space, over time, and among individuals. Because of these and other challenges associated with interpreting available data, developing and applying modeling approaches is essential for advancing capabilities to address the public health challenges posed by mosquito-borne diseases. - Model-guided assessment of interventions for infectious disease prevention
Due to the inadequacy of many existing interventions and because of the growing number of infectious disease threats, the evaluation of novel interventions is an increasingly important enterprise. Mathematical modeling has a key role to play in designing and interpreting studies to assess intervention efficacy and to make projections of their potential impact when deployed at population scales. - Infectious disease dynamics in the context of global change
As our research develops, we continually find that the increasingly precise mechanistic understanding of the dynamics of transmission and control that we are cultivating has the potential to provide insights about how infectious diseases will respond in the future to the many drivers of global change that our planet is facing.
