I'm working to develop genetic sequencing capacity for infectious disease control in Africa. This involves working with colleagues to deploy technology in country and building new software tools that translate complex genomic datasets into actionable information for malaria control. I work at the Big Data Institute at Oxford University as part of MalariaGEN, a large network of researchers from across the world, on projects involving human, malaria, and mosquito DNA.
I am also interested in using genetics to understand human history. We all have within our DNA a record of our ancestry, and I work with several groups in Oxford and elsewhere to try to use genetics to learn about history. This is fun and interesting in its own right, but it's also important from an evolutionary point of view. Uncovering the genetic relationships between populations can help us to better design and interpret genetic epidemiological studies for infectious diseases, and so has direct relevance to our work in malaria.
I enjoy writing about science, thinking about how it can be used in real world situations, and how research can be translated into policy.