Senior Researcher in Statistical Genetics and Pathogen Dynamics
Chris Wymant
Contact information
After a PhD and some postdoctoral research in theoretical particle physics, I joined the group of Christophe Fraser, at Imperial College London 2014-2016, and at the Big Data Institute since. My primary affiliation is now the Pandemic Sciences Institute. I do research on the epidemiology and evolution of viruses: how they spread, how they change, and how they damage our health. I use statistical modelling, mathematical modelling and genomic methods.
Educational/explanatory material I've written for students and researchers is here.
My publications are listed here*. Some highlights:
- In Ferretti & Wymant et al., Science 2020 we provided the initial proposal to use 'digital' contact tracing (with proximity-detecting phone apps) to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, based on mathematical modelling. This novel public health intervention was rapidly developed and used in many countries; read more about our group's contributions here.
- In Wymant & Ferretti et al., Nature 2021 we provided the first evaluation of the epidemiological impact of digital contact tracing. More info and coverage here.
- In Ferretti & Wymant et al., Nature 2023 we quantified the interplay of proximity and duration of exposure to COVID-19 cases for determining transmission risk. More info and coverage here.
- In Wymant et al., Science 2022 we reported on the discovery of a highly virulent variant of HIV-1. More info and coverage here.
- In Wymant et al., Virus Evolution 2018 we presented the computational method shiver for assembling HIV (and other viral) genomes from the short fragments of DNA produced by next-generation (high-throughput) sequencing methods.
- In Wymant & Hall et al., MBE 2017 we presented the computational method phyloscanner for phylogenetic analysis of pathogen genetic sequence data at the within- and between-host level, for example to infer transmission.
Outside of the pandemic I've mostly worked on the BEEHIVE project: analysing HIV genetic data, together with clinical data about the individuals with those viruses, to better understand how the virus affects infection severity. I've helped a little in BEEHIVE's sister projects PANGEA and AMPHEUS.
If you're not a robot, you can email me at chris wymant bdi ox ac uk, replacing those five spaces with . @ . . . respectively
* this link provides access to the only publication that's not open acces: Jean & Wymant, Science 2019, on academic institutional policy for flying.
Recent publications
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Journal article
Wymant C. et al, (2022), Science (New York, N.Y.), 375, 540 - 545
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Journal article
Hinch R. et al, (2021), PLoS computational biology, 17
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Journal article
Wymant C. et al, (2021), Nature, 594, 408 - 412
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Journal article
Colizza V. et al, (2021), Nat Med, 27, 361 - 362
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Journal article
Kendall M. et al, (2020), The Lancet. Digital health, 2, e658 - e666