Cassidy Nelson

DPhil Student

Cassidy completed undergraduate studies in Neuroscience and Developmental Biology and a medical degree from the University of Queensland, and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Melbourne. She has more than five years experience working in hospital and laboratory-based medicine, human biosecurity and communicable disease public health.

Joining MERG in October 2018, her DPhil research centres on infectious disease modelling of pandemic events. Her current project aims to quantify the effects of the introduction of diagnostic tests on outbreak control in the event of a pandemic caused by a novel pathogen.

Projects

Existential Risk, Biosecurity And Biotechnology

In the decades to come, advances in biotechnology could bring new risks to both humans and ecosystems. This research focuses on investigating and mitigating the worst possible of these risks, those that could threaten human civilization itself. This interdisciplinary initiative is a collaboration with the Future of Humanity Institute. It utilises a variety of tools ranging from dynamical systems and stochastic processes to case studies and public policy.