Dr Jacob Smith

 

 

With a background in Climate Science, I use epidemiological modelling applications to investigate the large-scale distribution of wind-borne plant pests and pathogens, particularly those threatening important food crops across regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. I apply my expertise through the areas of research, development and maintenance of forecast models (such as Lagrangian dispersal and full-landscape epidemiological models) for predicting distributions of destructive fungal pathogens, including wheat rust and wheat blast. I work closely with international partners including CIMMYT, UK Met Office and with collaborators located at institutions across Sub-Saharan Africa (EIAR, ATA, Ethiopia MoA, and KALRO) and South Asia (BWMRI, DAE, BMD, NARC, and PARC).