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Mathematical and computational modelling of infection transmission and the role played by surfaces

Academic lead
Dr Martin Lopez-Garcia, School of Mathematics, m.lopezgarcia@leeds.ac.uk
Industrial lead
Dr Simon Parker, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, STPARKER@mail.dstl.gov.uk
Co-supervisor(s)
Dr Marco-Felipe King, School of Civil Engineering, M.F.King@leeds.ac.uk, Prof Catherine Noakes, School of Civil Engineering, C.J.Noakes@leeds.ac.uk
Project themes
Buildings & Cities, Computational & Analytical Tools, Data-driven methods, Environmental Flows, Health, Transport

This PhD project offers an exciting opportunity to investigate the role of environmental contamination in infection transmission, focusing on fomite transmission (via contaminated surfaces). This interdisciplinary project combines mathematical and computational modelling to explore how different contamination routes, including pathogen dispersion and deposition from the air and hand-surface contact, contribute to infection risks. The research will involve developing airflow models to simulate pathogen spread and surface contamination, coupled with stochastic models of human behaviour (e.g., hand-surface contact patterns). The models will be applied to various real-world scenarios, such as healthcare settings and transport environments, using existing and external data.
The project's outcomes aim to inform effective infection control strategies by quantifying the contribution of different transmission routes and evaluating the efficacy of interventions like ventilation improvements or cleaning protocols. The student will work with a supervisory team from diverse disciplines, including mathematics, engineering, and microbiology, offering a unique blend of expertise and resources. The student will benefit from external expertise and supervisory support from existing collaborators at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Ministry of Defence).