Musa is developing models and data-driven maps that illustrate how factors such as climate change, seasonal variations and human behavior influence Lyme disease spread in Maryland and beyond.

The University of Maryland Department of Mathematics and Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) welcomed Salihu Musa as a research scientist in fall 2024.

Musa earned his Ph.D. in mathematical epidemiology at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he explored transmission mechanisms in infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and various vector-borne diseases such as Zika, dengue and Ebola. 

Prior to joining the University of Maryland, he was a bioinformatician at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. There, he applied his expertise in epidemiological modeling to analyze large-scale datasets, advancing our understanding of disease spread, forecasting outbreaks, and examining how human behavior influences transmission patterns. Eager to expand his focus to additional disease areas, he chose to bring his talents to Maryland.

“Epidemiological modeling is essential for understanding and managing diseases,” Musa explained. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, it proved invaluable for predicting spread and guiding public health responses—insights that are just as critical for addressing other diseases.”

At Maryland, Musa is focused on advancing our understanding of Lyme disease transmission dynamics, leveraging his expertise to develop mathematical and statistical tools for robust data analysis. Musa’s approach leverages simulation-based inference for epidemiological dynamics and sophisticated geographic information systems to analyze spatial and temporal patterns of Lyme disease transmission. The visually compelling, data-driven maps he creates also illustrate how factors such as climate change, seasonal variations and human behavior influence Lyme disease spread. 

“Lyme disease is a significant public health challenge across the country,” Musa said. “Maryland ranks among the top 10 most affected states, per CDC data, and within Maryland, Montgomery County bears the highest burden, making this research especially relevant to our local community.”

Musa’s model-driven study generates real-time maps of Lyme disease cases in high-burden areas, which provide local public health agencies with a realistic estimate of disease burden in their jurisdiction, identify potential hot spots and offer insights into the effectiveness of intervention strategies. Citizens living in or visiting high-burden areas in the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and upper Midwest United States will also find the maps helpful because they will know when to minimize their exposure to ticks, according to Musa.

Working alongside Abba Gumel, who holds the Michael and Eugenia Brin Endowed Chair in Mathematics at UMCP, Musa seeks to improve Lyme disease management and control strategies not only within the United States but also on a global scale, providing tools to better mitigate infections and protect public health while considering the changing climate.

“Dr. Musa's work offers a cutting-edge, data-driven solution to one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time—quantifying and mitigating the impact of anthropogenic climate change on the distribution and burden of human diseases, such as Lyme disease,” Gumel said. “Dr. Musa's hybrid mechanistic-statistical model realistically assesses the population-level effectiveness of various control and mitigation measures against the vector and the disease. His research exemplifies the One Health approach, which holistically integrates human, animal and environmental health to address public health challenges.”

In the coming months and years, Musa and Gumel look forward to continued collaborations within the University of Maryland and in the surrounding BioHealth Capital Region.

“I’m incredibly drawn to this area—it’s an ideal environment for research with impressive resources and high-caliber researchers at the IHC,” Musa said. “Beyond that, we’re perfectly situated near other renowned research universities and key government agencies like the NIH and FDA, making it a prime location for collaboration and innovation.”

Written by Sarah Ellinwood

She joined the Department of Mathematics following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Geology.

Anais Bardyn joined the Brin Mathematics Research Center (Brin MRC) in May 2023 following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Geology, saying she knew by that point that UMD was a great place to work.

Bardyn shared her experiences and insights managing and coordinating the activities that take place in the Brin MRC in an interview below, which has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your favorite thing about working in the Brin MRC?

Working in a research center! I enjoy supporting scientists interacting with each other and discussing their results by helping to organize activities such as workshops and summer schools.

Did you always think you’d work in academia?

Yes. I enjoyed teaching and doing my research during my Ph.D. in France. As a result, I always envisioned myself working in a similar environment. UMD was the first American university I visited and it had a great impact on me. It’s a beautiful campus with so many students; I feel lucky to be part of it.

What does your day-to-day look like in your job?

It varies a lot. At the Brin MRC, we organize on average a one-week workshop every two weeks. Prior to a workshop, I work on the overall planning: interacting with the organizers and the participants, sending invitation letters, booking the hotel, creating the poster and the schedule, placing catering orders, and much more. During and after a workshop, I coordinate catering and work to reimburse participants’ travel expenses. In addition to the workshops and summer schools, I manage the Brin MRC Distinguished Lectures and visitors to the Brin MRC throughout the year.

What do you like most about your job?

The variety of my responsibilities and the organization they require, the management of the Brin MRC, and the fact that the Brin MRC supports researchers from all over the world.

What is your favorite UMD memory?

Seeing students return to campus after the pandemic. I was able to come to UMD during the pandemic to do my research during my postdoc, and it was a very empty place without students.

What do you like to do outside work?

I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter, doing yoga, cooking and working in our garden.

Henri Berestycki, Zbegniew Blocki, Qëndrim Gashi and Carlangelo Liverani joined the department in fall 2024.

The University of Maryland’s Department of Mathematics welcomed four visiting professors in fall 2024:

• Henri Berestycki
• Zbegniew Blocki
• Qëndrim Gashi
• Carlangelo Liverani

Berestycki is a professor at L'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and chair of the Mathematical Analysis and Modeling program in Paris. His research focuses on nonlinear partial differential equations and modeling in physics, biology, finance and social sciences. In November, he co-organized the “Disease Dynamics and Human Behavior” workshop at the Brin Mathematics Research Center.

Blocki is a professor in the Institute of Mathematics at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. From 2015 to 2023, he was director of the National Science Centre, a government agency that supports basic research in Poland. His main research areas are the complex analysis of several variables and partial differential equations.

Gashi is an associate professor of Mathematics at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo whose research focuses on representation theory, algebraic geometry, number theory and combinatorial aspects thereof. He previously served as Kosovo's Ambassador to France from 2016 to 2021, and in 2011 served as a foreign policy advisor to the president of Kosovo. He also founded the Kosovar Mathematical Society and served as its first president.  

Liverani is a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata in Italy. His main research interests include dynamical systems, non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. In September, he co-organized the “Macroscopic Behavior of Deterministic Systems” workshop at the Brin Mathematics Research Center.