Biography

I have always been fascinated by the dynamics of infectious diseases, particularly the epidemiology of emerging viruses, and I have pursued this interest both in my undergraduate work in the Republic of South Africa, as well as at Cambridge during my masters. Concurrently, I am passionate about the role of the public health sector in maintaining a just and equal society, and hope that my work will translate into more effective policy making in addressing the burden of infectious disease in sub-Saharan Africa. For my PhD in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, I will seek to identify and quantify the ecological factors that shape the risk of influenza virus emergence, from cross-species transmission of animal influenza viruses to immune-naive human populations. My project will aim to identify the factors that translate the human-animal interface, particularly agricultural animal populations, into emergence risk, identifying spatiotemporal trends to inform the distribution of surveillance and medical intervention for pandemic preparedness. I’m elated at the prospect of engaging in some robust cross-disciplinary discussion with my fellows, especially around global health, formal and informal politics and whether Han shot first. Interests: Science (all of it), politics, speculative fiction, running, hiking, good coffee, bad movies Previous University: University of Cambridge

Previous Education

University of the Western Cape
University of Cape Town
University of Cambridge