Freya Clare Bull

I am a biophysicist/mathematical biologist interested in simple models for complex biological systems

Black and white photograph of Freya in a forest

My research focuses on how we can apply mathematical models to problems in health and biology, with a particular interest in developing simple models to describe complex phenomena. I am currently a Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics at UCL.

At UCL, I am trying to understand how the physical interactions between individual red blood cells can lead to changes in the whole blood properties for sickle cell disease. Previously, I developed a biophysical model for the bacterial colonisation of urinary catheters, which I applied to find the parameters controlling the timescales and outcomes in catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI).

Computer generated image of two red blood cells deforming as they contact each other

Sickle cell disease

I am trying to use statistical physics, computational fluid dynamics, and power law fluid models to understand how interactions between red blood cells determine the whole blood rheology

Cut away graphic of rod-shaped bacteria suspended in urine flowing through a urinary catheter

Urinary catheters

I developed a population dynamics model for bacterial colonisation of urinary catheters. I apply this model to interpret and predict clinical data

Simplistic graphic of a suspension of rod-shaped bacteria

Bacterial growth

I am interested in understanding how bacteria grow on complex growth media, and in developing chemostat models to describe bacterial growth on multiple substrates

Emergence

I am fascinated by the common threads of emergent behaviour we see across disciplines, and question if there might be a universal law of emergence

CV

2023 - now Research Fellow, Department of Mathematics, UCL (with Dr P. Pearce)
2018 - 2023 PhD in Condensed Matter Physics, University of Edinburgh (with Prof. R. Allen and Dr C. Brackley)

"Biophysical modelling of bacterial colonisation of urinary catheters"

2014 - 2018 MMathPhys Mathematics and Physics, University of Warwick

Research Interests

Population dynamics
Statistical physics
Fluid dynamics
Mathematical biology
Scientific computing

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