Ecology: Statistical and Mathematical methods for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases

Vector-borne (e.g., West Nile) and zoonotic (e.g., avian influenza) (VBZ) diseases pose a serious threat to human health. Current models are much too simplistic to accurately reflect the complex systems of these diseases
The goal of this working group is to support mathematical and statistical advances in the ecology of infectious diseases. We are particularly interested in the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases and the interaction between disease and the ecological processes of organisms. There is a great deal of interest and need for more work in this area. For example, VBZ diseases can have a large economic impact on our food supply (e.g., brucelosis spreading from bison in Yellowstone to captive livestock ) and are a significant threat to human health (e.g., the current Ebola outbreak in Africa).

Topics of interest include (1) spatial-temporal models for disease, (2) combining empirical (statistical) and mechanistic (mathematical) models for disease dynamics , (3) dynamics of vector-borne disease, particularly mosquito-borne infections.