DrJulia Michalow

I am a Research Associate in the Vaccine Epidemiology Research Group. My work applies statistical and mathematical modelling to characterise infectious disease dynamics and evaluate strategies for their prevention and control, with the aim of generating evidence to support public health policy in low- and middle-income countries. My current research focuses on the epidemiology of vaccine-derived polioviruses. I am assessing the extent to which environmental surveillance strengthens poliovirus outbreak detection and response in Africa.

Previously, I spent over a decade working on infectious disease programme surveillance and evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular focus on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. This included designing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, automating analytical pipelines for routine surveillance data, and managing multi-country studies from fieldwork through to analysis and dissemination. My experience spans roles across implementing partners, consulting, and industry.

I completed my PhD in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London, funded by the President's PhD Scholarship. My research estimated the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and evaluated diagnostic interventions for their control in sub-Saharan Africa. I also hold an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town.