Speaker
Description
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a promising strategy for controlling malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquitoes, but its practical implementation hinges on identifying release protocols that are both effective and resource-efficient. In this talk, I present a mathematical framework for optimizing time-dependent releases of sterile male mosquitoes within a biologically structured population model incorporating nonlinear mating dynamics and life-cycle stages. A key feature of the model is the emergence of an Allee effect induced by mate-finding limitations, creating a threshold below which the wild population collapses naturally. Building on this, I formulate a free-horizon optimal control problem that minimizes the total number of sterile males released while ensuring the population is driven below this threshold. Unlike classical approaches with a fixed terminal time, our formulation uses a state-dependent stopping time corresponding to threshold crossing. I discuss analytical and numerical challenges arising from the geometry of the threshold manifold and the coupling between control intensity and time to elimination. Preliminary results suggest adaptive release strategies can substantially reduce total releases compared to standard protocols, and I explore how mechanisms such as introducing a competing species may further improve SIT efficiency.
