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Mathematics for Real-World Systems Centre for Doctoral Training

Luke Whincop

Luke graduated with an MRes in Mathematics of Real-World Systems in 2019.

PhD research:

My PhD research primarily asks: how can we best attribute sources of human infection in general?

In this area, I have conducted research into zoonotic infections (infections that transfer from animals to humans), such as Campylobacter, and analysed what proportions of sources contribute to the overall number of infections; I have analysed this in a wide variety of contexts, such as by looking at sample size effects and different locations and time periods. The uncertainty regarding the sources of human infection has inhibited effective public health intervention by government agencies and industry; therefore, there is a pressing need for the above research question to be answered.

An additional aim is to understand the biology of Campylobacter, the main bacteria contributing to food poisoning, along with other infections, to help inhibit antimicrobial resistance and bacterial evolution mechanisms.

I will be working alongside the Food Standards Agency and Public Health England during my PhD.

MSc Mathsys:

In 2016, I received a merit for an MSc in Mathematics of Real-World Systems.

I worked on an individual project in Summer 2016 that involved optimising personalised chemotherapy treatment in brain tumours. The aim was to find optimal drug combinations to ensure that the maximal number of cancer cells are killed, and the minimal number of healthy cells are harmed.

I worked on a group project with Simon Graham and Maxim Smilovitskiy in Spring 2016 that looked at using immunotherapy to optimise cancer treatment. We also worked alongside the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), to create future projects between IARC and the University of Warwick.

Research interests:

My research interests include:

  • Data Analysis and Bayesian Statistics
  • Mathematical Biology
  • Mathematical Modelling
  • Epidemiology and Antimicrobial resistance

Past Projects:

In 2015, I researched tempering in MCMC for my final year undergraduate project, for which I received a first-class grade.

In 2014, I conducted research at the University of Lancaster in the STOR-i Doctoral Training Centre. My research involved using time series to produce forecasts for solar irradiance. An abstract, as well as a poster and presentation of my project, can be found here.

Academic Background:

I received an MMath Mathematics degree with first-class honours from the University of Bath (2015).

I studied a broad range of mathematical topics in my degree that included: Real and Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Probability Theory, Differential Equations, Classical and Bayesian Statistics, Time Series, and Medical Statistics.

Teaching:

I was an assistant tutor for first year Mathsys students in Data Analysis for the 2016/17 academic year. I intend to do more tutorial work in the future.

I tutored first-year undergraduate algebra in the third and fourth years of my degree at the University of Bath.

Hobbies:

My hobbies include writing, playing and writing music; I sing and am able to play guitar, bass, and drums. I also enjoy tennis, football, swimming, and running.

I have written articles that have been published in the University of Warwick Newspaper, The Boar; these can be found here.