Networks, Data, and the Race against Global Pandemics

Infectious diseases pose a dynamic and devastating threat to global health. Over the past three years, Zika has dramatically expanded its global reach, Ebola has ravaged West Africa, a deadly avian influenza virus has surfaced in Asia, MERS threatens the Middle East, and the persistent scourge of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis have claimed millions of lives.

Meyer will discuss the challenges of tracking and controlling such diseases and how scientists use network-based mathematical models of human and animal contacts, big data, and high performance computing to support public health agencies in the race to detect and contain outbreaks before they emerge on a global scale.

Meyers received a PhD in biological sciences from Stanford University.