Dr Christopher J Rhodes

RCUK Fellowship

I am an RCUK Research Fellow based in the Imperial College Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Networks and Complexity research programme - South Kensington) and the Infectious Disease Epidemiology group (MRC Centre - St Mary's). I am also affiliated with the Imperial College Institute for Security Science and Technology. My research is mainly concerned with developing mathematical models for understanding the spread of communicable diseases.

I am currently working on the following subjects:

Developing models for understanding the effect of vaccine antigen stability on host acquired immune responses. This involves modelling the host immunological system reaction to vaccination, as well as representing the processing and presentation pathways within individual antigen presenting cells. In collaboration with the IAH Pirbright and Centre for Bioengineering (IC).

Statistical mechnical methods for strain competition and pathogen invasion dynamics. This approach uses a broader range of population-level measures than is conventionally used to predict the outcome of pathogen competition and invasion processes. In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin and Harvard University.

Social Network Analysis. Developing inference methods to determine candidate social network memberships and structural  topologies from limited and fragmentary data sources.

Communicable diseases in an ecological context:

Rabies in wildlife. Using models and empirical data to understand the epidemiological dynamics of rabies and distemper infections in fox populations in northern Italy. In collaboration with the IZSV Laboratory, Italy.

Plankton virus interactions. Representing the effect of viral infection of plankton in the ocean and its role in biogeochemical cycling using eco-epidemic models embedded in fully developed mesoscale turbulence. In collaboration with the National Oceanographic Centre (Southampton) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

I teach on Imperial College's professional short course, Introduction to Mathematical Models of the Epidemiology & Control of Infectious Diseases, which is aimed at public health professionals, policy-makers, researchers and health economists who want to learn about the basic principles and practical applications of mathematical modelling and modern quantitative methods. See www.imperial.ac.uk/cpd/epidemiology.