Predicting Pandemics

“It turned out that the skills I had acquired in my Masters, such as describing real-world phenomena using equations, analysing data and coding, were applicable to mathematical modelling in other fields,”

Ada Yan

Where I work: I work as a virologist at Imperial College London.

What I do: I study how bird flu adapts to humans to better predict which bird flu strains might be likely to cause a pandemic.

My physics background:

I completed my Masters in theoretical condensed matter physics, improving phase retrieval algorithms for electron microscopy.

During my Masters, it became apparent that, while I enjoyed using mathematics to understand real-world phenomena, I would prefer other applications such as in biology.

I applied for a few PhD positions in biophysics, before stumbling upon an ad posted in the physics department, for a PhD position in mathematical modelling of infectious disease in the School of Public Health.

I was unaware that this field existed, but after meeting the team and doing some reading, I was hooked.

It turned out that the skills I had acquired in my Masters, such as describing real-world phenomena using equations, analysing data and coding, were applicable to mathematical modelling in other fields.

After my PhD, I took two postdoc positions in mathematical modelling of infectious disease and the immune response.  I became increasingly interested in how the experimental data I was analysing was generated.

I realised that if I were to one day lead projects and teams combining mathematics and biology, I would need to understand the world of biology more fully: which questions are at the cutting edge, what new technologies might help us understand them, and how experiments are designed and performed.

With support from my experimental collaborators, I applied for and received a fellowship, where I am performing my own experiments as well as analysing them using mathematical models.

How physics has helped me get to where I am:

In terms of technical skills, physics training gave me the analytic and computational tools required to analyse model equations and relate them to data.

The spread of infectious disease, whether between individuals or within a host, is ultimately a physical process, and the equations describing these processes can be analysed using the same methods as in physics.

But more importantly, physics training began my journey in learning the research process – planning a research project, forming hypotheses, designing and refining experiments (in the lab or in silico), reporting results and forming new research directions.

I have learnt to communicate new ideas with collaborators, form networks and develop resilience.

During the pandemic it became apparent that researchers from all disciplines were required to solve problems in infectious disease. The contribution of physicists was invaluable for understanding processes of aerosolisation, airflow and deposition to unravelling the structures of viral proteins.

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“Our customers like to break very expensive stuff and we like to fix it” 

“Physicists seem to have an open door into other disciplines due to the first principles approach that we all learn early on.”

Where I work:

Galactic® Co-operative and Galactic® Scientific

What I do:

I work at Galactic® Co-operative and Galactic® Scientific on lasers, robots, spectrometers and other fun things found in labs, control rooms or wherever technology concentrations occur.

After graduating and working in academia and the corporate world, I discovered meaningful work and workplaces were in very short supply. So, I decided to create a place where like-minded people could find meaningful work without being hampered.

Endeavouring to do as much good as possible, with the skillset and drive that I had, ideas became plans, words became actions, Galactic® Scientific and finally, Galactic® Co-operative was born. Mission accomplished!

Galactic® Co-operative is the umbrella organisation for Galactic® Scientific where, as the Lead Physicist, I help our team of physicists and engineers to provide technical expertise and empower lab operators, physicists, chemists and laboratory managers to get the most out of their fleets of scientific instruments and associated devices.

In short, our customers like to break very expensive stuff and we like to fix it.

Our co-operative is also a worker-owned co-operative so the governance and planning of the day-to-day as well as future growth is a significant and rewarding part of what I do and share with our members.

My physics background: 

The nanotechnology degree was what initially attracted me to the discipline, which then morphed into a physics/chemistry double major. This led to the field of extraterrestrial mineralogy, cosmology, spectrometry and analytical chemistry.

How physics has helped me get to where I am: 

Building and running our business requires attention to evidence-based decision-making and a fearless approach to what may appear at first to be insurmountably complicated technology problems. With the proper mindset, these problems resolve into solvable puzzles custom-made for the enjoyment of the curious mind.

Physics, as the playground of the curious mind and tempered with the requirement of evidence, is the ideal prerequisite to running a technology business.

When confronted with the array of business methodologies, any physicist becomes immediately aware that the majority of businesses operate on opinion. Worse still, many businesses are steered by the opinions of the upper echelons of the hierarchy.

Deciding to operate as a worker-owned co-operative is an obvious improvement. More contributors bringing evidence to a decision will yield a better-quality result.

Consider the jar full of jellybeans. Ask one person, this could be the manager, how many jellybeans are in the jar, and a number will be forthcoming but ask many observers, and the average result will surely be an improvement on the manager's assessment.

What advice do you have for physicists contemplating their career trajectory? 

I encourage all Physicists and students to join the AIP and use it to remain connected to your physics community through events and participation on committees or taking office in the AIP. You will be glad you did. The rewards of service are manifold.

Also, I’d like to recommend existing AIP members take a good look at Fellowship. Becoming a Fellow opens previously unknown doors, and more importantly, helps you open doors for others.

Finally, if you have discovered a paucity of meaningful work and workplaces as I did, consider founding your own. Physicists are uniquely talented in what it takes to succeed, particularly when they cooperate.

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