Calistus N. Ngonghala

Calistus N. Ngonghala, an associate professor of mathematical biology at the University of Florida, specializes in interdisciplinary research integrating mathematics, public health, and economics. His work focuses on developing and applying innovative mathematical methodologies and data analytics to understand complex synergistic feedback between socioeconomic factors, infectious diseases, environmental changes, and human response to these external stimuli.

At Radcliffe, Ngonghala is pioneering an innovative approach that integrates human behavior, economics, environmental, and spatial factors into frameworks for infectious diseases, notably COVID-19 and malaria. This addresses a common gap in many existing models, particularly some of the early models for COVID-19. Leveraging unique accessible data sets for diseases from various countries, this project will inform effective disease control and mitigation strategies, offering insights for current and emergent pathogens. Additionally, it will advance theoretical and computational methods relevant to health and economic policy while also developing a predictive framework for vector-borne diseases and climate interaction, informing multisite grant applications for risk assessment mapping.

He obtained his PhD from West Virginia University in 2011 and has held postdoctoral positions at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis and Harvard Medical School. His research, supported by such agencies as the National Science Foundation and Simons Foundation, has appeared in top journals and received media coverage from such outlets as the Guardian and Science. He received a UF Foundation Term Professorship and a 2020 UF International Educator Award. Currently, he is an associate editor for several journals.