The emergence of COVID-19 saw mathematical modelling inform public health policies that impacted the lives of millions of people globally. In this country, international borders were closed, vaccines were rolled out by age, borders were re-opened, and vaccine policy changed as immunity waned and new variants emerged.

Dr Camelia Walker’s mathematical modelling provided evidence that informed the aforementioned policy decisions and more. Their work is instrumental in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals in this country, and the role of vaccination in mitigating severe disease in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Camelia’s research develops mathematical and statistical tools to combat infectious diseases, including COVID-19, malaria and influenza. They hold a PhD on statistical methods for early epidemic outbreaks (2019). In early 2020, they became a member of the Doherty-led COVID-19 modelling consortium and in 2021 they began a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Melbourne.

Camelia is a passionate advocate for including transgender and non-binary voices in gender equity discussions. They are a Victorian committee member of Queers in Science (QiS) and have been a speaker in public panel discussions in relation to their lived experience as a transgender non-binary person of colour in STEM.

Dr Camelia Walker is a Superstar of STEM.