Alessandro Vespignani

Department of Physics, College of Computer and Information Sciences Bouve' College of Health Sciences Northeastern University, Boston MA

Fluctuations and flows: A Lens for Pandemic Monitoring

Global human mobility is a key driver of epidemic spread, shaping the geographic diffusion and temporal fluctuations of infectious diseases. Understanding these mobility patterns is essential for designing early warning systems and monitoring emerging threats in real time. In this talk, I will explore how mobility-informed epidemic models can enhance pandemic surveillance and response, with a particular focus on wastewater-based epidemiology. Specifically, I will discuss the development of an aircraft wastewater surveillance network, which leverages human mobility flows to provide near real-time insights into the global circulation of pathogens.