معرفی
Katie Atkins is Professor (Personal Chair) of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, holding a Chancellor's Fellowship within the Usher Institute of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. She maintains an external Professorship at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine until June 2026.
Education:
- BSc in Mathematics
- MSc in Mathematical Biology
- PhD in Biological Sciences
Research Focus: Dr. Atkins pioneers evolutionary epidemiology through mathematical modelling and phylogenetics to decode infectious disease dynamics. Her work targets HIV transmission bottlenecks, antimicrobial resistance evolution, and vaccine-induced pathogen shifts, with emphasis on unobservable early-infection processes. Current projects integrate deep sequencing with quantitative analysis to address critical public health questions.
Publication Trends: Recent work (2023-2024) demonstrates methodological convergence across HIV, measles, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 research. Key patterns include phylogenetic bottleneck analysis for transmission routes, spatial network modelling for vaccine-preventable outbreaks, and cost-effectiveness frameworks for novel immunization strategies – reflecting her integrative approach to epidemic dynamics.
Scientific Awards: No specific awards were documented in the source materials.
Supervision & Grants: Dr. Atkins mentors PhD candidates in Wellcome's Hosts, Pathogens and Global Health DTP and MRC's Precision Medicine DTP. Her research portfolio includes:
- ERC Starting Grant (HIV ECLIPSE, 2018-2024): Quantifying early HIV transmission events
- Wellcome Trust Programme (2021-2026): Tracking vaccine-driven antimicrobial resistance in Vietnam
- Cluster randomized trials for pneumococcal conjugate vaccines
Research Collective: She leads a multidisciplinary team comprising postdoctoral researchers (Villabona-Arenas, Lepper, Hackman) and PhD students at the Centre for Global Health, driving collaborative work on pathogen evolution and intervention impact.
