Michael A. Robert, PhD

I am a mathematical biologist interested in utilizing mathematical models to study the environmental, ecological, evolutionary, and anthropogenic processes underlying the outbreak, spread, and control of infectious diseases. My recent research has been focused on mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile. My research interests span the areas of population genetics, population dynamics, epidemiology, optimal control theory, stochastic modeling, and spatial modeling.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (minor in Spanish) from Mississippi State University before beginning my graduate work at NCSU in 2008. I completed my PhD work in August 2013 in the Biomathematics Graduate Program within the Mathematics Department at North Carolina State University under the direction of Alun Lloyd(Mathematics) and Fred Gould (Entomology). Following graduate school, I spent nearly 4 years at the University of New Mexico in the Department of Biology and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics as a postdoctoral fellow working with Helen Wearing.

I am very interested in enhancing undergraduate education with research opportunities. I was a graduate mentor for the NCSU Mathematics department Research Experience for Undergraduates during Summer 2011 and Summer 2012. Additionally, I was a graduate mentor for the NCSU Undergraduate Biomathematics program. I was also affiliated with the NSF-IGERT program, Genetic Engineering & Society, while at NCSU. At the University of New Mexico, I helped to mentor a project for a biology Masters student.