Inferring complex network models of livestock movements in East Africa to optimise disease control
Supervisors:
PhD Project Summary
Food security and national economies in low- and middle-income countries are threatened by livestock diseases. Nearly 50% of the population of Africa depends directly on agriculture, with over 70% relying on it in some regions. Impacts include loss of food sources and inability to access local and international markets. Livestock mobility to access resources (grazing land, water, and minerals) is critical to animal survival.
The successful EPSRC-funded PhD student will develop new statistical and mathematical methods to model and understand the complex system of livestock movements and its implications for disease transmission (using an exemplar disease system) in traditional livestock production systems of East Africa. They will also test the transferability and robustness of these models for larger scale inferences. This work will allow the identification of key transmission nodes that could be targeted for control. The connections of the supervisory team to national and international agencies will provide a link to decision makers for the practical application of this work.
Applicants should be highly quantitative ecologists or epidemiologists with an interest in deepening their mathematical and statistical skills, or applied statisticians aiming to develop their skills to address practical issues around the control of livestock diseases in natural systems.