Topic: Computational modelling of the conditions governing the spread and transmission of zoonoses caused by newly invasive rodent species in rural areas of northern Senegal
Supervisor: J.M. Dembele
CBGP manager: J. Le Fur
Home university: Université Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis, Sénégal
Funding: CEA-MITIC, Univ. Gaston Berger
Dates: 30 March 2018 – 31 January 2021

The Computer Science Laboratory at Gaston Berger University, in collaboration with the BIOPASS Laboratory (IRD/ISRA/UCAD/CIRAD) in Dakar Bel-Air and the CBGP in Montpellier, has been selected to carry out a project funded by CETIC (African Centre of Excellence in Mathematics, Computer Science and Information and Communication Technologies) entitled: « Mathematical and computational modelling in epidemiology: a case study of vector-borne and non-vector-borne transmission ». The aim of this project is to harness the potential of new approaches in computational and mathematical simulation to address questions related to the integrated understanding of the processes at play (so-called “mechanistically rich” models and the “end-to-end modelling” approach), as posed within “OneHealth”-type dynamics.

In this project, our PhD thesis plays a central role. Supervised by Prof. J.M. Dembele of UGB and mentored by Dr J. Le Fur of IRD, it is based on the development of a knowledge integration model linked to field data obtained by various disciplines working on this subject. The development of this model will rely in part on the use of the SimMasto platform (Le Fur et al., 2017), dedicated to the dynamic modelling of knowledge on the bioecology of small rodents and their parasites.