JUNIPER welcomes six new Fellows to support the next generation of epidemic modelling leaders
JUNIPER is delighted to announce the appointment of six outstanding early career researchers as Fellows in the second round of the JUNIPER Fellowship scheme.
The Fellows represent a diverse range of expertise from across the UK's epidemic modelling community and will play an important role in shaping collaborative research across the network over the next two years.
Launched in 2025, the JUNIPER Fellowship scheme supports early career epidemic modellers as they develop leadership skills, broaden their research networks and take the next steps towards becoming independent researchers. During the two-year fellowship, Fellows will help lead research activities across the JUNIPER partnership, undertake collaborative research visits with other members of the network and contribute to the partnership's longer-term strategic vision. They will also work with the Plus magazine team to further develop their skills in communicating complex research to wider audiences.
The new 2026 JUNIPER Fellows are:
Dr Fanny Bergström (University of Oxford), whose research uses stochastic modelling, Bayesian inference and computational statistics to inform outbreak response and animal and public health policy, with a particular focus on highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Dr Sangeeta Bhatia (Imperial College London), whose research focuses on generating evidence to inform public health policy during infectious disease outbreaks. Her work centres on identifying evidence gaps, improving decision-making and advancing software as a research artefact.
Dr Zixuan Liu (University of Bristol), whose research focuses on spatial and spatio-temporal methods for infectious disease modelling, forecasting and decision support. His work combines machine learning with epidemiological modelling to improve outbreak preparedness and response.
Dr Alin Morariu (University of Nottingham), whose research develops Bayesian inference methods and computational tools for infectious disease modelling. He is particularly interested in combining high-performance computing, open-source software and deep learning to make advanced modelling approaches more accessible.
Dr Daniel Pan (University of Leicester), whose research combines clinical studies, laboratory science and epidemiological analysis to better understand respiratory virus transmission and individual infectiousness. Daniel is particularly interested in strengthening links between clinical infection research and mathematical modelling to support public health decision-making.
Dr Thom Rawson (University of Oxford), whose research explores how demographic change influences disease transmission and healthcare demand. Thom has extensive experience in real-time epidemic modelling and is passionate about communicating research to public audiences.
Professors Julia Gog and Matt Keeling, the co-leads of the JUNIPER partnership, said:
"One of the greatest strengths of JUNIPER is the talented community of early career researchers who bring fresh ideas, energy and expertise to our network. The Fellowship scheme is our way of recognising that talent and investing in the future of epidemic modelling.
We were delighted by the quality of applications and are thrilled to welcome our six new Fellows. They bring a range of perspectives and expertise, reflecting the breadth of our community, and we are excited to see the collaborations, leadership and new ideas that they'll bring to our community over the next two years."
The second round of fellowships attracted applications from across the UK epidemic modelling community, once again demonstrating the strength of emerging talent in the field. The new Fellows join the inaugural cohort appointed in 2025, further strengthening JUNIPER's collaborative research network and its commitment to supporting the next generation of leaders in epidemic modelling.
Find out more about the JUNIPER Fellows and their research here.