Applied mathematician, Adeshina Adekunle, joined AITHM in 2017 to develop infectious disease models that can estimate the extent and spread of disease outbreaks, from influenza to Ebola virus.

Adeshina, a post-doctoral research fellow and infectious diseases modeller, is funded by a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Tropical Partners research grant. He is currently working with colleagues to create a Global Pandemic Map website to monitor external disease threats.

Closer to home, he is developing a model to calculate the spread of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, currently a key tool in efforts to prevent the dengue-carrying species from reproducing.

Adeshina is also involved in research to help differentiate treated tuberculosis patients who subsequently suffer a relapse, from those who have been re-infected, and whether prior infection creates greater immunity.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Adeshina obtained a Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Mathematics (1st Class Honours), followed by a Masters degree, from the Federal University of Technology, in Akure, before moving to Australia in 2013 to embark on a PhD in Mathematical Biology at the University of New South Wales.

His PhD study explored the dynamics of malarial infection using mathematical modelling; identifying and calculating factors that influenced infection resistance in two patient cohorts – one in Mali, where the malaria strain, Plasmodium falciparum, is common, and the other in Thailand and Papua New Guineas, where the Plasmodium vivax strain is common.

Adeshina found the incidence of Plasmodium falciparum-related infection and onset of clinical symptoms decreased with age, and that patients infected with the parasite before the malaria season (during and immediately after the wet season) were less likely to develop clinical malaria. He also calculated that some 90-95 percent of malaria cases in regions afflicted by Plasmodium vivax were caused by reactivation of hypnozoites – a dormant form of the parasite in the human body.

Research Disciplines

• Public Health and Health Services (1117)
• Applied Mathematics (0102)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Public Health (9204)
• Clinical Health (9201)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Kuddus M, McBryde E, Adekunle A, White L and Meehan M (2021) Mathematical analysis of a two-strain disease model with amplification. Chaos Solitons and Fractals, 143, Article: 110594, DOI:10.1016/j.chaos.2020.110594.
• Adegboye O, Adekunle A and Gayawan E (2020) Early transmission dynamics of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (9), Article: 3054, DOI:10.3390/ijerph17093054.
• Adekunle A, Meehan M, Rojas-Alvarez D, Trauer J and McBryde E (2020) Delaying the COVID‐19 epidemic in Australia: evaluating the effectiveness of international travel bans. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 44 (4), pp. 257-259, DOI:10.1111/1753-6405.13016.
• Adekunle A, Adegboye O, Gayawan E and McBryde E (2020) Is Nigeria really on top of COVID-19? Message from effective reproduction number. Epidemiology and Infection, 148, Article: e166, DOI:10.1017/S0950268820001740.
• Gayawan E, Awe O, Oseni B, Uzochukwu I, Adekunle A, Samuel G, Eisen D and Adegboye O (2020) The spatio-temporal epidemic dynamics of COVID-19 outbreak in Africa. Epidemiology and Infection, 148, Article: e212, DOI:10.1017/S0950268820001983.
• Kuddus M, Meehan M, White L, McBryde E and Adekunle A (2020) Modeling drug-resistant tuberculosis amplification rates and intervention strategies in Bangladesh. PLoS ONE, 15 (7), Article: e0236112, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0236112.
• McBryde E, Meehan M, Adegboye O, Adekunle A, Caldwell J, Pak A, Rojas D, Williams B and Trauer J (2020) Role of modelling in COVID-19 policy development. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 35, pp. 57-60, DOI:10.1016/j.prrv.2020.06.013.
• Meehan M, Rojas D, Adekunle A, Adegboye O, Caldwell J, Turek E, Williams B, Trauer J and McBryde E (2020) Modelling insights into the COVID-19 pandemic. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 35, pp. 64-69, DOI:10.1016/j.prrv.2020.06.014.
• Pak A, Adegboye O, Adekunle A, Rahman K, McBryde E and Eisen D (2020) Economic Consequences of the COVID-19 Outbreak: the Need for Epidemic Preparedness. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, Article: 241, DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00241.
• Villacorta Rath C, Adekunle A, Edmunds R, Strugnell J, Schwarzkopf L and Burrows D (in press) Can environmental DNA be used to detect first arrivals of the cane toad, Rhinella marina, into novel locations? Environmental DNA, , DOI:10.1002/edn3.114.
• Adekunle A, Meehan M and McBryde E (2019) Mathematical analysis of a Wolbachia invasive model with imperfect maternal transmission and loss of Wolbachia infection. Infectious Disease Modelling, 4, pp. 265-285, DOI:10.1016/j.idm.2019.10.001.
• Adekunle A, Adegboye O and Kazi M (2019) Flooding in Townsville, north Queensland, Australia, in February 2019 and its effects on mosquito-borne diseases. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (8), Article: 1393, DOI:10.3390/ijerph16081393.

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 18+ research outputs authored by Dr Adeshina Adekunle from 2013 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation:

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Control of Seasonal Dengue Viral Infections of Different Serotypes and Different Age Classes (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.