Speaker: Dr. Colin A. Russell. Bio: Dr. Russell's research focuses on the evolution and epidemiology of respiratory pathogens with the aim of reducing the burden of these pathogens locally and globally. Dr. Russell is a Full Professor of Applied Evolutionary Biology (with tenure) in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the Amsterdam University Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam. He leads a research group of 12 people and he is a PI on ~US$5m in active research funding. Within his department, he is one of the three research section heads responsible for the oversight of research activities of his department. Beyond his department, he is the Chair of Infection of the Amsterdam Institute of Infection and Immunity and the Chair of the Institute Strategy Committee. He is also the leader of the Amsterdam Infectious Disease Initiative. Internationally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI, Europe’s leading scientific organization on respiratory viruses), the Scientific Advisory Board of Moderna, and various advisory groups for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). Over the past year, Dr. Russell has invested his efforts heavily into mathematical modelling work to inform the use of diagnostic resources for SARS-CoV-2 in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), all in collaboration with Dr. Brooke Nichols (of BUSPH). Together, Dr. Nichols and Dr. Russell co-led an international modelling consortium to quantify the utility of antigen detecting rapid diagnostic tests and guide policy targets for FIND.