Applied Mathematics and the Biology of Diseases

How do you test for a rare disease if you don't have enough test kits? I'll describe a method called group testing, which was applied during the COVID pandemic, and which allows us to use scarce resources more efficiently. As well as having interesting applications, it's also a fun maths problem to think about, and we can consider the best possible algorithm to solve it.

Zoom in on almost any surface on Earth, and there’s a good chance you’ll find bacteria. Bacteria are experts at choosing which surfaces they want to stick to and making strong bonds to stay attached. To do this, they cover their surface in sticky, rod-like molecules called “adhesins”, which have adhesive tips. In this talk I will discuss the evolution of adhesins, break down the different parts of these sticky little rods, and talk about how we’re using our knowledge of adhesins to engineer new therapeutics and biotechnologies.

Origami, the ancient art of origami, has found unexpected applications in engineering; from self-assembling robots and designer materials to large deployable structures in space. In this talk, we will look at examples of folding in the world around us, reveal some of the elegant mathematical principles behind origami, and show how origami is used in science and engineering.