Prof Roslyn Hickson

Prof Roslyn Hickson is a Science Leader for Emerging Infectious Diseases, a joint appointment with James Cook University. Her research focuses on the mathematical modelling of infectious diseases to inform policy and practice, with a particular emphasis on emerging, vector-borne, and zoonotic diseases through the lenses of biosecurity and One Health.

Roslyn was awarded the inaugural KA Landman Medal by ANZIAM in 2026 for outstanding contributions to industrial mathematics. Her research has had direct policy impact, including COVID-19 modelling that contributed to mask mandates on NSW public transport, recognised with the 2020 ITS Australia Excellence in Research and Development Award and a 2021 CSIRO Impactful Science Award. She also collaborated with Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control on dengue fever surveillance, work recognised with a Corporate Social Responsibility Award presented by Taiwan's Deputy Prime Minister.

Roslyn completed her PhD studies through UNSW Canberra in 2010, where her research into the critical times of heat and mass transfer through multiple layers was jointly awarded the Ria de Groot prize for the best female postgraduate student. She then became a Research Fellow with the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University, before being awarded a four-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at University of Newcastle from December 2011. She joined IBM Research Australia in May 2014, and was named a finalist in the MIT Technology Review EmTech Asia Innovators Under 35 list for both 2017 and 2018. In July 2018 Roslyn joined The University of Melbourne as an Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Malaria Elimination Research Fellow, and was awarded a Victorian Young Tall Poppy in 2018.

Roslyn is lucky to be an active member or honorary for a number of fantastic research centres, including:
* Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM)
* Centre for Tropical Biosecurity (CTB)
* Centre for AI and Data Science Innovation (CADSI)
* Centre for Tropical, Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS)
* WHO Collaborating Centre for Vector Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases

Keywords:
Infectious diseases modelling; emerging infectious diseases; health security; risk modelling; vector borne diseases; zoonotic diseases; emerging technologies; monitoring and surveillance; behaviour and disease