Speakers
Description
Heterogeneity is a defining feature of infectious disease systems, shaping transmission patterns, intervention effectiveness and prospects for elimination. Yet capturing relevant sources of variation remains a central challenge for mathematical modellers. This mini-symposium brings together researchers developing novel approaches to incorporating heterogeneity across scales.
Talks will examine how different forms of heterogeneity influence disease dynamics and intervention design. We explore spatial heterogeneity in mosquito movement using random walk models that capture fine-scale dispersal patterns and their consequences for local transmission intensity. The symposium addresses heterogeneity in epidemiological settings, particularly the distinct challenges arising in elimination contexts where residual transmission becomes increasingly focal and stochastic. Speakers will also present frameworks for optimising control measures that account for heterogeneity in intervention costs, effectiveness and policy objectives.
A unifying theme is how mathematical approaches can move beyond population-average assumptions to better represent the variation inherent in real-world disease systems. By bringing together perspectives on vector biology, elimination dynamics and adaptive control, the symposium highlights how explicitly modelling heterogeneity can improve predictions and support more effective, targeted interventions for infectious disease control programmes.
