People

Professor
Department of Mathematics, SFU

I am a mathematical biologist interested in the ecology and (co)evolution of hosts and their parasites. I use mathematical models and simulations to study how parasites spread through populations and evolve traits such as infectivity and virulence, and in turn how this affects the evolution of host traits such as resistance or mating strategies.

I am a theoretical biologist interested in a broad range of problems, from physiological constraints organisms face to the application of economic theory to interspecies interactions. In my Ph.D. I aim to investigate the evolution of association and dependence between different species, particularly hosts and their symbionts. I completed my B.Sc. in biotechnology back home in Iran, followed by an M.Sc. in Zoology at UBC, where I developed models of cell growth that can help us predict the effect of environmental change on the cost of traits. Outside work, you can find me reading about religions and politics, walking in the woods, and teaching my friends how to cook Persian dishes.

I am a master’s student in Applied and Computational Mathematics. My research interests are in evolutionary epidemiology, particularly in how stochasticity leads to coherence resonance in epidemic models eliciting quasi periodic behaviour and how it affects evolutionary outcomes. As a research assistant in my undergrad, I developed mathematical models describing the population dynamics of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Panama which were used to measure the impact and cost of targeted treatment intervention programmes. In my off hours I can be found watching art films, shopping for vintage fashion, exercising, or reading.

I am interested in computational biology, data science, and algorithms. I completed my bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and I was involved in two projects in the field of evolutionary game theory during my undergraduate studies. During my master’s degree, I will focus on the analysis of infectious diseases and genomic data. I enjoy strength training, biking, hiking, and playing the piano in my spare time.

I am a master’s student in Applied Mathematics, interested in applications of mathematics to biology and public health, particularly in population biology. I completed my B.Sc. at McGill University in Applied Mathematics, where I discovered how fascinating mathematical biology is. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, watching sports, spending time outside, and attempting to find the best baked goods in Metro Vancouver.  

I joined the pack group in August 2020 and am working towards my “dogtorate”. I have broad research interests in olfaction and am keen to investigate anything new.