Teaching 20010/11

MA40197 Mathematical Modelling in Ecology, Evolution and Epidemiology
MA30063 Mathematical Biology II

Research interests

• Control of biological systems
• Public health policy:HPV vaccination; Chlamydia screening
• Invasive species: Gypsy moth spread; Puffin declines
  
• Modelling processes of non-invasive drug monitoring in patients
• Impact of host heterogeneities on HIV dynamics

Director of MASH

Project Opportunities

Below is listed a selection of current projects that could form the basis of undergraduate project units, summer internships, MSc, PhD or postdoc projects. Please do get in touch if you are interested in any of these or have ideas of your own that you would like to discuss. 

Non-invasive drug monitoring. Traditional methods of monitoring drug levels in chronically ill patients involves taking blood samples at regular intervals. In many cases, this is not ideal and therefore research into alternative monitoring methods could provide a significant contribution to the treatment of such patients. There is a wide range of theoretical questions which can be addressed using mathematical models; for example determining how time to stabilisation of monitoring machines can be determined and how different drugs respond to non-invasive techniques. 

Economic modelling of infectious disease control. Models for the spread and control of infectious disease can predict the impact of intervention policies such as vaccination or screening programmes. To implement these predictions requires a further layer of constraint - that of economic cost, trading off cost of infection against the cost of its prevention. There are many research questions which can be addressed by combining disease dynamics with economic constraints; my current focus is on control of chlamydia but I am also interested in controlling ecological infections such as gypsy moth invasions and agricultural diseases.

Current PhD students

• Zoe Thomas: Host heterogeneity and HIV disease dynamics
• James Clarke: Controlling infectious diseases: the optimal way
  

Completed PhD students

• Ivana Gudelj (2002) Social groupings and disease dynamics in animal populations: a theoretical study
• Steven White (2004) Modelling aphid populations that are resistant to a fungal pathogen
• Andrew Whittle (2004) Gypsy moth modelling with an application of optimal control theory
• Matthew Dorey (2008) Modelling the spread of disease on networks http://opus.bath.ac.uk/16737
  
• Victorial Brown (2010) Modelling healthcare provision for an infectious disease using optimal control
  

Brief CV

• 2003 to date: Senior lecturer in Applied Mathematics, University of Bath, UK
• 1997- 2003: Lecturer in Applied Mathematics, University of Bath, UK
• 1995 - 1997: Wellcome Fellow: Biomathematics Research Training, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK.
  
• 1991-1995: PhD (Professor Jim Murray), University of Washington, Seattle, USA
• 1990 - 1991: Second in Mathematics Department, Kenilworth School, Warwickshire, UK
  
• 1988 - 1990: Mathematics Teacher, Countesthorpe College, Leicester, UK

Professional Activities

• 2010- to date: External examiner, Foundation Year, University of Bath
  
• 2007 - to date: Director of MASH, University of Bath
• 2007 - 2010: Director MSc in Mathematical Biology, University of Bath
  
• 2006 - 2010: Co-director Centre for Mathematical Biology, University of Bath
• 2006-2010: External Examiner, University of Cumbria
  
• Member of LMS, ESMTB, SMB
  

Recent Talks

• February 2009: Seminar speaker, Complexity series, University of Bristol UK
• March 2009: Plenary speaker SIAM CSE Annual meeting, Miami, USA
• April 2009: Invited speaker AMATH Colloquium, University of Washington, USA

Current Collaborators

• Centre for Mathematical Biology, University of Bath
• Begona Delgado-Charro Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath
• Suzanne Lenhart NIMBIOS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
  
• Katy Turner Social Medicine, University of Bristol

Publications

Journal articles

• Brown, V.L., White, K.A.J. (2011) The role of optimal control in assessing the most cost-effective implementation of a vaccination strategy: HPV as a case study. Math. Biosci.  231(2): 126-134.
  
• Paulley, Y.L., Delgado-Charro, M.B., White, K.A.J. (2010) Modelling formation of a drug reservoir in the stratum corneum and its impact on drug monitoring using reverse iontophoresis. Computational and Mathematical methods in medicine.11(4): 353-368.
  
• Brown, V.L., White, K.A.J. (2010) The HPV vaccination strategy: could male vaccination have a significant impact? Computational and Mathematical methods in medicine.11(3): 223-237
• Hartfield, M., White, K.A.J., Kurtenbach, K. (2010) The role of deer in facilitating the spatial spread of the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. Theoretical Ecology DOI: 10.1007/s12080-010-0072-2 Published online 23/02/10
• Ward, Z.D., White, K.A.J. van Voorn, G. (2009) Exploring the impact of target cell heterogeneity on HIV loads in a within-host model. Epidemics. 1(3): 168-174
• Whittle, A., Lenhart, S., White, K.A.J. (2008). Optimal control of gypsy moth populations. Bull. Math. Biol. 70 398-411
  
• White, K.A.J., Gilligan, C.A. (2006). The role of initial inoculum on epidemic dynamics. J. Theor. Biol. 242: 670-682
• White, S.M., White, K.A.J. (2005). Relating Coupled Map Lattices to Integro-difference equations: dispersal-driven instabilities in coupled map lattices. J. Theor. Biol. 235:
      463-475.
• White, S.M., White, K.A.J. (2005). Applications of biological control in resistant host-pathogen systems. Math. Medicine and Biology 22:227-245.
• Gudelj, I., White KAJ (2004). Spatial heterogeneity, social structure and disease dynamics of animal populations. Theor. Pop. Biol. 66: 139-149.
  
• Gudelj, I., White, K.A.J., Britton, N.F. (2003). The effects of spatial movement and group interactions on disease dynamics of social animals. Bull. Math. Biol 66: 91-108.
• Beardmore, I.,White, K.A.J. (2001). Spreading disease through social groupings in competition. J. Theor. Biol.212: 253-269.
• White, KAJ,  Wilson, K (1999) Modelling density-dependent resistance in insect-pathogen interactions, Theoretical Population Biology  56(2): 163-181
• White, KAJ, Hall, SJG (1998) Behaviour of lambs (Ovis aries) in relation to spatial patterns of defecation on a pasture Journal of Zoology  245: 111-117
• White, K.A.J., Gilligan, G.A. (1998). Spatial heterogeneity in three species, plant-parasite-hyperparasite, systems. Phil. Trans. Lond. B.  353: 543-557.
• Lewis, M.A., White, K.A.J., Murray, J.D. (1997). Analysis of a model for wolf territories. J. Math. Biol. 35 749-774. 
• White, K.A.J., Grenfell, B.T. (1997) Reguation of complex host dynamics by a macroparasite.  J. Theor. Biol. 186: 81-91
• White, K.A.J., Grenfell, B.T., Hendry, R.J., Lejeune, O., Murray, J.D. (1996) Effect of seasonal host reproduction on host-macroparasite dynamics. Mathematical Biosciences 137:
      79-99.
• Lubkin, SR, Romatowski, J, Zhu, M, Kulesa, PM, White, KAJ (1996) Evaluation of feline leukemia virus control measures, Journal of Theoretical Biology 178: 53-60
• White, K.A.J., Lewis, M.A., Murray, J.D. (1996). Wolf-deer interactions: a mathematical model. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond.  B 263 299-305. 
• White, K.A.J., Lewis M.A., Murray, J.D. (1996). A model for wolf-pack territory formation and maintenance. J. Theor. Biol. 178 29-43. 
• Cook, J., Tyson, R., White, K.A.J., Rushe, R., Gottman, J., Murray J.D. (1995). Mathematics of Marital Conflict: Qualitative Dynamic Mathematical Modeling of Marital Interaction.
      J. Family Psych. 9 110-130

Teaching and Learning articles

• White, K.A.J. (2010). sigma-sw: the regional hub pilot for sigma. MSOR Connections 10(3): 40-41
• White, K.A.J. (2002). Setting the Scene. MSOR Connections 2(3):8-9
• Lewis, H., White, K.A.J. (2002). Teaching and learning across the A level - university transition. MSOR Connections 2(4):14-18
• Lord, K., White, K.A.J. (2001) Face the University Challenge. TES: Curriculum special 21/09/01.
• Proof across the transition: A working document for schools and universities to explore learning and teaching proof in the two sectors. (2001). K.A. Jane White (ed). Compiled by Hannah Lewis, Dept. Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath.
  

Book Chapters

 'On wolf territoriality and deer survival', White, K.A. Jane, Lewis, M.A. & Murray, J.D.  Chapter 6 (105-126). In: Modelling spatiotemporal dynamics in ecology. Sole, R.V.,     Bascompte, J. (eds). Landes Biosciences (1998).