Sarah Hayes

Sarah is a PhD student funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Grantham Institute Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet Doctoral Training Partnership (SSCP DTP).

Following a career in veterinary clinical practice, in 2017 she completed a Masters in Epidemiology at Imperial College. She has a strong interest in the ‘One Health’ initiative which recognises the link between human, animal and ecosystem health. By combining her veterinary knowledge and skills with epidemiological and statistical training, her goal is to contribute to valuable research in line with this initiative.

Under the supervision of Professor Christl Donnelly and Dr Pierre Nouvellet, her PhD is focussed on using mathematical and statistical methods to improve our understanding of the biological contact networks underpinning the multi-species transmission of rabies virus. Data from African field settings will be used to parameterise novel, multi-species dynamic transmission models which will then be used to characterise the contact networks that allow rabies virus to be transmitted within and between different species in each field setting.

The objectives of this research are to aid in determining which species are contributing to maintaining rabies virus in each setting and thus help to inform strategies for eradication.