Applied Maths Seminar: Ghanbarnejad -- When contagions collide: mathematics of interacting epidemics and beyond

Fakteh Ghanbarnejad (SRH University of Applied Sciences) is visiting us this month, and
will give a talk in the usual AM seminar slot on Wednesday 8th October at 1pm in Carslaw
275.  We will go to lunch beforehand.  All are welcome to both, students get a free
lunch.  

Title: When contagions collide: mathematics of interacting epidemics and beyond 

Abstract: Most mathematical models of contagion--whether for diseases, computer
viruses, or ideas--focus on a single agent spreading in isolation.  Reality is far more
complex: pathogens interact within hosts, behaviors shape disease transmission, and
multiple contagions often overlap in space and time.  These interacting contagions can
amplify, suppress, or fundamentally alter each other's dynamics.  

In this talk, I will introduce the idea of contagions as a unifying concept across
biology and society, with examples from disease ecology and the One Health perspective,
where human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected.  I will outline
the first mathematical steps in modeling these interactions, beginning with extensions
of classical epidemic models and network-based frameworks.  Even simple models reveal
surprising phenomena: shifts in epidemic thresholds, changes in persistence or/and the
order of phase transitions, and unexpected outcomes when contagions couple together.