Patrick McChesney
Patrick is now an alumna of the Cobey lab. Below is an archived description.
Longitudinal trends in influenza infections within individuals have been historically difficult to investigate due to:
- A lack of long-term studies reliably tracking influenza cases within a stable participant pool, and
- The need for new statistical approaches to address the complex dynamics involved in influenza immune protection.
My work focuses on the development and implementation of the statistical methods required to model the longitudinal dynamics of infectious diseases. I use these modeling results to guide the experimental design of ongoing and proposed long-term panel studies investigating individual-level trends and vaccine effectiveness in influenza and SARS-CoV-2.
My primary background is in Accelerator Physics and computational modeling. I received my Physics Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2015 where my researched focused on the theoretical development and simulation of novel techniques for electromagnetically storing and accelerating neutral particles. Prior to joining the Cobey Lab in May 2022, I worked in the defense industry as a scientist and technical lead in Directed Energy programs focused on the applications of high-power microwaves, high-energy lasers, charged particle beams, and plasmas.