Dr Luca Nelli
- Teaching Fellow (MVLS Education Hub)
- Lecturer (Infectious Disease Ecology)
Biography
2023 - present: Lecturer. School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine. University of Glasgow.
2021 - present: Teaching Fellow. College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences. University of Glasgow.
2016 - 2023: Research Associate. School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine. University of Glasgow.
2013-2015: Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. University of Pavia (Italy).
2009-2012: PhD in Experimental Ecology, University of Pavia (Italy).
Research interests
Main interests
I am a quantitative ecologist with research interests spanning form ecology to epidemiology, and their interface in the field of public health, One Health and wildlife conservation.
My key interest is the use of appropriate spatio-temporal statistical methods to make inference from imperfect and opportunistic data (such as citizen science data or passive case detection from health surveillance systems) in wildlife conservation and public health.
Current projects
- “Freedom from Infection – Confirming the Interruption of Malaria Transmission (FREEDOM)”. The programme, in collaboration with the University of South Florida, seeks to investigate wether tools developed for confirming the absence of infection in veterinary epidemiology can be applied to malaria, and will provide key evidence as to whether and how these tools can be best used to guide decision-making when driving towards and confirming malaria elimination.
- Assessing the risk of mosquito vector-borne diseases in Scotland and their response to environmental change. The project aims at understanding the risk of mosquito-borne disease establishment in Scotland, under current and future environmental scenarios.
- Optimising sampling strategies for surveillance of mosquito-borne disease. The project, conducted in collaboration with La Sapienza Università of Rome, focuses on advancing mosquito-borne disease surveillance through the development and field testing of an innovative FTA card-based trapping system, integrating research and teaching activities to enhance understanding and control of vector-borne diseases in diverse ecological settings.
- Ecology and Epidemiology of malaria in humans (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Tanzania) and Orangutans (Indonesia), where I collaborate with local scientists focusing on spatio-temporal analyses of vector-borne disease ecology.
- Several other collaborative projects on habitat selection, species distribution and connectivity models of a range of taxa such as insects, birds, fishes and mammals.
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luca_Nelli
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lPuGm8YAAAAJ&hl=en
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6091-4072
Research groups
Grants
Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.
- Learning to Eliminate Dominant Malaria Vectors
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
2023 - 2026
- Assessing the risk of insect vector-borne diseases in Scotland and their response to environmental change.
UK Research and Innovation
2023 - 2026
- Freedom from Malaria Infection in Dominican Republic
The Carter Center
2022 - 2023
- Optimizing strategies for Flavivirus surveillance
The Royal Society
2022 - 2024
Supervision
I am eager to collaborate with passionate and driven students at all levels—BSc, MSc, and PhD—who share an enthusiasm for wildlife conservation, epidemiology, and public health. Get in touch with me if you are interested in any of the following:
- Innovative data analysis: Employing cutting-edge statistical methods on imperfect data (e.d. citizen science for conservation, health records...).
- Spatial modelling: e.g. how environmental changes affect animal distribtuion.
- Advanced surveillance tech: Implementing new tools for disease monitoring and control (e.g.field tests with innovative traps and geospatial modeling).
- Biodiversity conservation: Enhancing habitat models to protect diverse species, from urban wildlife to remote areas.
- Shiny apps development: Creating interactive tools for exploring model outcomes, making them accessible and useful for public health and conservation efforts.
Current students
- Blackbourn, Florence
Once an Urban Gull, Always an Urban Gull? Migrating Lesser Black-backed Gulls Vary in Whether or Not They Niche-Track. - Mbundi, Mecklina
Assessing the role of herbivore migration on coprophagous insects (dung beetle)-paratsite interactions in the Serengetic ecosystem - Orlando, Giuseppe
Time, light and sound: the effect of the urban environment on the movement ecology of owls
Teaching
Programme leader: MSc in Applied Conservation Science
Taught courses:
GIS for Ecologists BIOL5250 (Course coordinator)
Spatial Ecology BIOL5129
Programming in R BIOL5344
Professional activities & recognition
Prizes, awards & distinctions
- 2024: Teaching Excellence Award (University of Glasgow, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences)
Editorial boards
- 2023 - ongoing: Plos One
Supplementary
- Visiting Professorship at The Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases at Sapienza University of Rome (2023).