From maths to policy: a COVID-19 story Professor Julia Gog, University of Cambridge. Part of the Curle Lecture series. - Free

Mathematical modelling of infectious disease was brought to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic, both for its role in scientific advice for policy decisions, but also for its value in aiding the public understanding of the unfolding pandemic. This talk will give a speedy background into the roles of mathematical modelling, and some of the insights that epidemic models offer. Putting this together with COVID-19 we'll look at how modelling was able to help contribute to scientific advice to the UK government. This is also a story of one mathematician's experiences during these strange times. The pandemic also highlighted the importance of science communication to the public, as well as leaving us with some research challenges for the future.