I am a scientist with broad interests in applying mathematics and statistics to real-life problems, from health and epidemics to economics and computing science. I am studying how pests and diseases spread and how our behaviour can facilitate their dispersal, and also facilitate their control. I mostly work on plants, crops and trees, but also investigate COVID-19, influenza and other infectious diseases of humans.
I was born in Poland and lived there until I was 28. I also studied and did my PhD there. My academic career has brought me first to Germany (Forschungszentrum Jülich) and then to the UK. I spent 15 years at the University of Cambridge as a post-doctoral researcher, Research Fellow at King’s College, and eventually a Lecturer and Fellow at Selwyn College. I moved to the University of Stirling in 2007, and in 2018, I joined the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, where I hold a Global Talent Chair in Mathematics. In my spare time, I enjoy walking in forests and hills/mountains, and working in the garden.
Not a long time ago, I discovered writing popular science. I have so far written mostly on COVID-19, explaining how mathematics and statistics have been used in epidemiology. In addition to the blog, I also authored 20 The Conversation pieces, attracting over 1.8 million reads, and was invited to participate in their webinar. I have a lot of interesting plans, so please watch this space!
I can be found on this blog, Substack (where I haven’t written much yet), Bluesky, Instagram, and LinkedIn. I still occasionally read and post on Twitter, while Facebook is largely for my personal use. All articles that I either authored or are mentioned in can be found on Authory, some at The Conversation, whereas my scientific papers are found on my Google Scholar profile. I am also a trustee of the Scottish Forestry Trust, and you can see my profile there.
