The value of a map comes not only from the details it includes, but also from those which it leaves out. One does not navigate using a map the size of Paris.
This is the website of Alastair Jamieson-Lane.
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher, studying Mathematics and Epidemiology at the University of Oldenburg.
Currently, I am working with the University of Oldenburg and UMCG in Groningen, studying evolution and spread of infections and antibiotic resistance.
Current research
Global Epidemic Spread
It was said by Jules Verne in 1873 that “The world has grown smaller, since a man can now go round it ten times more quickly than a hundred years ago,”; in the decades and centuries since, the world has shrunk even further, to the extent that the recent COVID-19 pandemic was able to spread to nearly every corner of the world in a matter of weeks and months.
Given the wide, highly interconnected transport networks of the 21st century, one of the central questions of epidemic forecasting is the question of ``how long will an epidemic take to spread from A to B?” - if we observe an epidemic in Stockholm, how long will it take to spread to Mumbia?
This question is tied deeply to the existence of the global flight network, and human behavior. In a recent paper I was able to calculate both the average arrival time for an epidemic spreading through a network, and uncertainty in this prediction.
Horizontal Gene transfer and the Gossip Paradox
Unlike Eukaryotic cells (such as plants, animals and fungi), Bacterial cells contain two distinct types of DNA: Chromosomal DNA, which encodes the core genes required for a cell to survive, and Plasmid DNA, which codes accesory genes such as antibiotic resistance, virulence factors, or novel biochemical pathways.
While Chromosomal DNA is locked tight within a cell, plasmid genes are frequently passed around between bacteria, in much the same way that humans might share books, advice, or other forms of knowledge. Recently I have been studying the evolutionary drivers behind this process, trying to puzzle out when and why Bacteria expend such effort in sharing DNA with their rivals; cells they will inevitably need to compete with for generations to come.
Antibiotic Resistance
The discovery of antibiotics was among the most impactful scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, and the rise of antibiotic resistance looks set to provide on of the greatest challenges for the 21st century. Currently my research is focused on modelling how different antibiotic use protocols can simultaneously minimise the burden of disease within a hospital, while also accounting for the arrival of antibiotic resistance, and rise of multiresistant organisms.
