Dr Kristyna Rysava

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Dr Kristyna Rysava

School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick

Scientific Background

Research Interests

I am an Assistant Professor appointed jointly between the School of Life Sciences and the Mathematics Institute. My background is in quantitative and computational ecology with interest in evolutionary, environmental, and social determinants driving disease dynamics. The specific focus of my research is to investigate how heterogeneity in environment, life-history, and behaviour of hosts and pathogens modulate contact rates and disease transmission; examine trade-offs that limit pathogen virulence and host preference; and characterise the patterns of outbreak variation across time and space. I typically use a combination of empirical field and serological data, large-scale experiments, computational simulations, and mathematical and statistical modelling to predict likely development patterns to assess the potential benefits for management and surveillance strategies for disease systems.

Research Groups

Environment & Ecology Cluster

Microbiology & Infectious Disease

Quantitative, Systems & Engineering Biology

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Inclusive, transparent, organised

Provision of Training

I will assist you in getting the technical skills that you need and are keen on learning to conduct your research at any stage of your PhD. I will require you to write a brief literature review and a proposal at the beginning of the second year outlining your PhD aspirations. This will serve as a foundation to your own independence in terms of consolidating ideas on what interests you, how to ask scientific questions about things that interest you, and how to address these questions in a tractable way.

Progression Monitoring and Management

Everything we do, we do in relation to others. As such, I believe that your progression is a joint endeavour. At the start of your PhD, we will develop a progress plan, tailored to your needs, expectations and interests, to keep all parties accountable to each other. We will meet on regular basis, to discuss your research and update our priors on next steps.

Communication

I expect and guarantee clarity and openness in our communication, both interpersonal and scientific. We will have ample opportunity for discussion in-person and over email during our 1:1 and lab meetings, and during my office hours. I care about maintaining each lab member’s psychological, emotional, and physical safety. As such, I discourage students from labouring away outside work hours.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per week. These meetings will be a mixture of face-to-face and via video chat or telephone. I am usually contactable for an instant response 1 or 2 days per week.

Work Patterns

The timing of work in my lab is completely flexible, and (other than attending pre-arranged meetings) I expect students to manage their own time.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 2 weeks' notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5,000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Accelerating progress towards rabies elimination: understanding principles governing effective control strategies

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Accelerating progress towards rabies elimination: understanding principles governing effective control strategies

Secondary Supervisor(s): Professor Mike Tildesley

University of Registration: University of Warwick

BBSRC Research Themes:

Sustainable Agriculture and Food (Animal Health and Welfare)
Understanding the Rules of Life (Systems Biology)

Project Outline

Every year, thousands of people die and billions of dollars are lost due to rabies spread by domestic dogs. In 2018, quadripartite initiative (WHO, WOAH, FAO, GARC) issued a Global Strategic Plan towards elimination of human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, disrupted many existing public health services, leading to a mass resurgence in rabies cases and deaths across the Global South.

In most rabies-affected settings, local elimination is now actively attempted with only short-term results being commonplace. Temporary political commitment, impartial vaccination of dogs, restricted access to healthcare and incomplete surveillance are the main culprits, but their exact interactions can be non-linear. In addition, guidelines for rabies management during the final stages of control programmes are lacking with limited knowledge on disease persistence and human behavioural response as the incidence is reduced to much lower levels. As such, there is an urgent need to localize persisting sources of infection as well as settings at risk, and to delineate behavioural and operational roadblocks hampering effective implementation of control and surveillance programs.

Using spatially and temporally detailed data on rabies incidence and vaccination, the student will develop a series of rabies transmission models fitted to the partially observed case data to identify the epidemiological, sociological and demographic drivers of the disease dynamics, leading to more accurate predictions of rabies spread and insights into the principles of effective interventions. There will be an opportunity for designing a complimentary project using process evaluation to systemically assess the impact of interventions over time and how these can be improved. Such results are anticipated to provide applicable guidelines for decision making in the context of vaccination planning and rabies surveillance to ensure freedom form the disease.

Co-supervisor on a project with Professor Mike Tildesley.