Louis du Plessis

I analyse signatures left in pathogen genomes by the spread and adaptation of infectious diseases. In particular, I am interested in the potential of phylodynamic methods to produce rapid and accurate inferences of key epidemiological parameters and inform public health policy during emerging and re-emerging infectious disease outbreaks.

I also investigate the limitations of current methods and identify scenarios where inferences are unreliable. To address such biases, I aim to develop methods that draw on different data sources to improve the robustness and reliability of conclusions. Finally, I am interested in finding ways to better visualise and communicate results to both scientists and non-scientists alike.