We’re delighted to host Professor Joshua Weitz, Professor of Biology at the University of Maryland and Clark Leadership Chair in Data Analytics. In this seminar, Professor Weitz will explore asymptomatic transmission and its consequences.

The seminar will take place from 11:00 to 12:00 in the Richard Doll Building lecture theatre and will be chaired by Luca Ferretti. It will be followed by lunch and networking from 12:00 to 13:00.

Abstract
This talk examines asymptomatic transmission and its broader implications. The first part revisits competing narratives surrounding the COVID-19 threat, using models and epidemic data to illustrate how SARS-CoV-2’s ability to spread silently between individuals made it catastrophic for society as a whole. The second part looks ahead, drawing on lessons learned from model-informed interventions to improve public health preparedness and response. Throughout, the talk emphasises that addressing future pandemic threats to both public health and socioeconomic well-being depends on stopping transmission – even when individuals feel fine.

Biography
Joshua S. Weitz is a Professor of Biology at the University of Maryland, USA where he holds the Clark Leadership Chair in Data Analytics. He directs an interdisciplinary group focusing on understanding how viruses transform the fate of cells, populations and ecosystems. Weitz is the author of multiple books including Asymptomatic (Johns Hopkins U Press, 2024) and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and a Simons Foundation Investigator in Theoretical Physics of Living Systems.