Aparna’s research focuses on the environmental and social risk factors for a range of infectious diseases. With a specific focus on cryptosporidiosis, her work uses non-linear time series modelling techniques and spatial methods to identify areas and time periods of maximum disease risk. Infectious diarrhoea caused by the parasite Cryptosporidium is recognized by the World Health Organization as a public health infection of global health importance. Contaminated drinking and recreational water, contact with infected persons or animals is the most common way to spread Cryptosporidium. My goal is to identify the environmental and socio-economic factors that precede these hotspots of cryptosporidiosis to inform targeted interventions in Australia. Specifically, through visualisation and analysis, I help to identify the environmental, socio-economic, demographic and health care availability factors that underlie the areas and time periods with maximum cryptosporidiosis risk. I will use this information to predict the future risk of Cryptosporidium infections at a high spatial resolution across Australia.