Hyojung Lee, who completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UNIST, has recently been appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hygiene at Hokkaido University in Japan, beginning March 16, 2018.
“Math is becoming more and more interdisciplinary as time progresses,” says Dr. Lee. “Mathematical modeling and statistical analysis can help doctors calculate the best care options for a single patient.” She adds, “Through the fusion of mathematics and medicine, I would like to expand my understanding of infectious diseases and contribute to the maintenance of people’s health.”
She plans to bring her mathematical expertise into the diagnosis of illness and care of patients. She hopes to study more deeply about the mathematical modeling of the spread of infectious diseases. This will include the prediction of infection pathways for the transmission of infectious diseases, as well as the establishment of policies based on those assumptions.
Dr. Lee became interested in the subject through the influence of her advisor, Professor Chang Hyeong Lee in the Natural Science at UNIST. Professor Lee began his research on the infectious diseases and mathematical modeling, as he observed the spread of the H1N1 pandemic influenza virus in 2009. Dr. Lee was his first student to partake in that research project.
“I applied for an open position at Professor Lee’s lab because I have significant interest in interdisciplinary mathematical research,” says Dr. Lee. “During my Ph.D. program at UNIST, I have conducted numerous researches on infectious diseases, including influenza and MERS, as well as infectious diseases in domestic animals, like FMD and bird flu.”
“Mathematics can do more things than we knew about,” says Professor Lee. “I am extremely happy that my first student at UNIST became appointed as a professor at a prestigious university in the world.”
