Sneddon Lecture 2025 - From maths to policy: a COVID-19 story
Professor Julia Gog (University of Cambridge)
Friday 23rd May 16:00-17:00
LT 116 Mathematics and Statistics Building
Abstract
The School of Mathematics and Statistics invites you to
The Sneddon Lecture 2025
From maths to policy: a COVID-19 story
Professor Julia Gog, OBE, FIMA
University of Cambridge
Friday 23rd May 2025, 16:00 - 17:00 GMT
Wine reception to follow at 17:00 GMT
To attend, please register in advance: https://sneddon-lecture-2025.eventbrite.co.uk
About the speaker
Julia Gog is the Professor of Mathematical Biology, at DAMTP, Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, and the David N. Moore Fellow in mathematics at Queens’ College Cambridge. Julia’s research is in the spread and evolution of infectious disease, particularly influenza. Julia contributed to the scientific advice to the UK government during the COVID-19 emergency, as a member of the modelling group SPI-M, and as a participant of SAGE. Julia is co-lead of the JUNIPER consortium which brings together epidemiological research across several UK universities (maths.org/juniper). Julia is also a keen supporter of mathematics outreach and is the Director of the Millennium Mathematics Project (https://maths.org).
Julia Gog was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to academia and the COVID-19 response.
Abstract
Mathematical modelling of infectious disease was brought to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic, both for its role in scientific advice for policy decisions, but also for its value in aiding the public understanding of the unfolding pandemic.
This talk will give a speed background to the roles of mathematical modelling, and some of the insights that epidemic models offer. Putting this together with COVID-19 we’ll look at how modelling was able to help contribute to scientific advice to the UK government. This is also a story of one mathematician’s experiences during these strange times. The pandemic also highlighted the importance of science communication to the public, as well as leaving us with some research challenges for the future.
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