With much of the world currently locked down by the coronavirus pandemic, mathematical modelling

has become a household talking point. To discuss this, I'm speaking with Kit Yates. He's a mathematical

biologist at the University of Bath. In this ever-changing climate, it's probably

also worth noting we recorded this interview on the 30th of March 2020. By a mathematical

biologist, I think people find that a bit of a strange one to deal with because I think

people think that typically maths is quite pure and abstract and biology

is pretty messy in real world and never the twain shall meet. But really what I do day to day

is take biological systems that I think are interesting, so maybe anything from a swarm of locusts

to the way that eggs get their patterning or the way that embryos develop and try and write

down a system of equations or computer code

which describe that to try and make predictions about those systems.

Kit, you say that people don't often see the link between biological systems and mathematics.

I feel like that's changed pretty rapidly in the last few weeks.

Right. Everyone is talking about exponential growth, about epidemiological models, about

modeling and basic reproduction numbers. Like Boris Johnson was talking about the fast upward

tick of the curve. And yeah, even Colin McGregor I saw the other day was talking about

implementing harsh measures to halt exponential growth of the

disease in Ireland. So yeah, everyone is, everyone is talking about mathematical biology at the moment,

so it's a good time to be a mathematical biologist. Is there a degree of that? I know, I'm sure

if you had a magic wand, you would make this all go away and what a terrible thing this is

for the world. But our mathematicians kind of thinking, at last, people get it.

Right. I think that's true. I think people, like, there's a good meme going around where it's just a guy standing at a chalkboard drawing an exponential curve and students saying, well, when are we ever going to need this, right? And it's sort of the case. it sort of feels like to some extent a little bit of vindication

...