Current position

Post-doctoral Research Fellow within the Mathematical Biology research group, School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of St Andrews. Click on the logos (side-bar) to find out more about the group or the university.

What is mathematical biology?

Mathematical Biology is an area of applied mathematics devoted to the modelling, analysis and simulation of complex biological and bio-medical phenomena and systems.

Research interests

Collective cell processes

Derivation of continuous partial differential equations (PDEs) from simple discrete stochastic agent-based models (ABMs) with a focus on collective cell growth and migration processes. These works have been applied to consider bacterial population growth and tumour invasion processes.

Recently, I have begun a project with cell biologist Dr Marcus Bischoff and mathematician Dr Jochen Kursawe on using vertex models to describe morphogenesis in the drosophila epithelium.

COVID-19 (Sars-Cov-2)

Modelling the intracellular pathways of pyroptosis (inflammatory cell death), which has been linked to severe cases of the COVID-19 disease using ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Part of a SARS-CoV-2 Tissue Simulation Coalition and part of the Rapid Assistance in Modelling the Pandemic (RAMP) initiative. (Click on bold text for more detail).

Immune responses

Development of discrete stochastic agent-based models (ABMs) to describe the interactions between tumour and immune cells with a focus on immunotherapy interventions.

Development of discrete stochastic agent-based models (ABMs) to describe the interactions of immune cells in pannus formation, a key step in the initiation and progress of Rheumatoid Arthritis in joints.