Friday Conference: Dengue–The Future

Neil Ferguson, PhD, is Professor of Mathematical Biology and Head of Department for the London Center for Neglected Tropical Disease Research at the Imperial College London. His research aims to improve understanding of the epidemiological factors and population processes shaping infectious disease spread in human and animal populations. A key practical focus is the analysis and optimisation of intervention strategies aimed at reducing transmission or disease burden. Much of his work is applied, informing disease control policy-making by public and global health institutions. A major research interest throughout his career has been on developing mathematical models of the geographic spread of newly emergent pathogens – such as BSE/vCJD, foot and mouth disease, SARS and MERS, pandemic influenza, Ebola and ZIka – to examine containment and mitigation strategies. Much of this work has been undertaken in collaboration with colleagues in his department and external institutions – most notably public health partners such as the World Health Organization [WHO], the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and Public Health England.