Lin Wang

Biography

I’m a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge. I’m an elected member of Global Young Academy. I was previously at the Institut Pasteur and University of Hong Kong. My current research develops statistical, mathematical, and machine learning models to study research areas including evolution and adaptation, immune response and memory, and risk assessment. I’m interested in both pathogen and human genomics.

My published research addresses seasonal pathogens (e.g. arbovirus, influenza) and emerging pathogens (e.g. pandemic influenza, SARS-CoV-2). My research often leverages diverse and heterogeneous data from pathogen genomics, serology, hospital surveillance, and population movements. I’ve found that disease risk of dengue infection correlates with the order of infecting serotypes and the antigenic distance between infecting viruses (Science TM 2024). Another major contribution from my dengue research is the identification of Indian Ocean basin-wide (IOBW) index as a key predictor of dengue epidemics in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (Science 2024). I’ve developed machine learning models enabling the use of genomic sequences to quantify strain cross-reactivity and identify mutations linked to major antigenic shift of influenza virus (Research Square). This offers an opportunity for improving our genetic and antigenic surveillance and response. In my earlier career, I developed an analytical framework to characterise the role of epidemic dynamics and transportation networks in driving global spread of epidemics (Nature Communications 2018; Emerging infectious diseases 2020-2021). I led an international collaboration and found that serial interval and generation time distributions can change over time in an emerging epidemic, especially under stringent social distancing policies (Science 2020). I also had major contribution to the cost-effectiveness assessment of COVID-19 and RSV vaccines (Nature Med, 2022, 2025).

I serve as an associate editor for BMC Medicine and Frontiers in Microbiology, and a guest editor for PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. I received the Best Poster Award at the 2024 Research in Genetics Day workshop from the University of Cambridge, 2022 and 2019 Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award from the University of Hong Kong, 2022 Excellent Reviewer from the IEEE Communications Society, Distinguished Referee Award from the European Physical Society in 2020, and the Best Talk Award at the 2018 International Conference on Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics.

Awards