Informing schistosomiasis elimination approaches through epidemiological modelling and game-theory approaches

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic, neglected tropical disease that infects over 240 million people worldwide, 93% of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. The life-cycle thrives in areas of poverty with inadequate access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Eggs are excreted in human urine or stool and hatch in fresh water to infect intermediate snail hosts, where they reproduce to release 1000s of larvae, which re/infect people when they enter the water. This PhD project will investigate how individual and community behaviours influence the effectiveness of WASH interventions in reducing infectious disease transmission.

The project will combine field data, behavioural analysis, and mathematical/game-theoretic modelling to better understand how different incentives (self-protection vs community benefit) shape intervention uptake.

A key motivation is that current interventions often fail to achieve elimination because they depend not only on biological efficacy but also on human decision-making, which may be influenced by social interactions, perceived risk, and economic trade-offs.

The project will integrate: Empirical data on behaviour and intervention uptake; Game theory to model strategic interactions between individuals; and Transmission models to assess population-level impact. The ultimate goal is to identify critical behavioural thresholds and optimal intervention strategies that improve uptake and reduce disease persistence.