Dr Alex Best

School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Senior Lecturer

Alex Best
Profile picture of Alex Best
a.best@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 3749
Hicks Building

Full contact details

Dr Alex Best
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Hicks Building
Hounsfield Road
Sheffield
S3 7RH
Profile

I studied for a BSc in Mathematics & Philosophy (Durham University, 2005) and an MRes in Mathematics in the Living Environment (York University, 2006), before completing my PhD in the Animal & Plant Sciences department at 51²è¹Ý¶ù University in 2010. I went on to postdoctoral positions at 51²è¹Ý¶ù (Animal & Plant Sciences) and Exeter (Biosciences) before moving to the School of Mathematics & Statistics at 51²è¹Ý¶ù as a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in 2013, later becoming a lecturer and then senior lecturer. My teaching and research interests are in mathematical modelling of biological systems, specifically focussed on disease spread and evolution. I am also the School's One University joint-deputy for EDI and co-chair of the London Mathematical Society's Good Practice Steering Committee. Personal Website: abestshef.github.io

Research interests

Mathematical modelling, epidemiology, ecology, evolution

Summary of Research Project(s)

I develop and analyse mathematical models of the ecology and evolution of infectious disease. I am especially interested in (1) modelling the spread of plant diseases, accounting for local spread and seasonality, as well as fitting models to empirical data, and (2) modelling the co-evolution of host defence and parasite infectivity, exploring how the underlying ecology drives selection.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

This person does not have any publications available.

All publications

Journal articles

  • Best A & Cunniffe N (2026) . PLoS Comput Biol, 22(2), e1013404.
  • Singh P & Best A (2024) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291(2017).
  • Oliver MG & Best A (2024) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 37(3), 302-313.
  • Best A & Singh P (2023) . Royal Society Open Science, 10(11).
  • Best A & Ashby B (2023) . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1873).
  • Pidwill GR, Pyrah JF, Sutton JAF, Best A, Renshaw SA & Foster SJ (2023) . Scientific Reports, 13(1), 1-11.
  • Singh P & Best A (2023) . Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 85(3).
  • Wren L & Best A (2021) . Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 83(12).
  • Singh P & Best A (2021) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 34(12), 1932-1943.
  • Ward C & Best A (2021) . Ecological Complexity, 47, 100949-100949.
  • Best A, Singh P, Ward C, Vitale C, Oliver M, Idris L & Poulston A (2021) . Royal Society Open Science, 8(6).
  • Best A & Ashby B (2021) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(18).
  • Ashby B & Best A (2021) . Current Biology, 31(4), R174-R177.
  • Best A, Jubrail J, Boots M, Dockrell D & Marriott H (2020) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 497.
  • Ferris C, Wright R, Brockhurst MA & Best A (2020) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1927), 20200787-20200787.
  • Ferris C & Best A (2019) . Theoretical Population Biology, 130, 182-190.
  • Vitale C & Best A (2019) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 474, 78-87.
  • Vitale C & Best A (2019) . Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 81(7), 2510-2528.
  • Ashby B, Iritani R, Best A, White A & Boots M (2019) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 464, 115-125.
  • Best A (2018) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1885).
  • Boots M & Best A (2018) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1883).
  • Ferris C & Best A (2018) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 440, 58-65.
  • Best A, Ashby B, White A, Bowers R, Buckling A, Koskella B & Boots M (2017) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1866).
  • Best A, White A & Boots M (2017) The evolution of host defence when parasites impact reproduction. Evolutionary ecology research, 18, 393-409.
  • Toor J & Best A (2016) . American Naturalist, 187(3), 308-319.
  • Hesse E, Best A, Boots M, Hall AR & Buckling A (2015) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 28(9), 1682-1690.
  • Westra ER, van Houte S, Oyesiku-Blakemore S, Makin B, Broniewski JM, Best A, Bondy-Denomy J, Davidson A, Boots M & Buckling A (2015) . Current Biology, 25(8), 1043-1049.
  • Best A, Bowers R & White A (2015) . Mathematical Biosciences, 264, 86-93.
  • Toor J & Best A (2015) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 365, 104-111.
  • Lopez Pascua L, Hall AR, Best A, Morgan AD, Boots M & Buckling A (2014) . Ecology Letters, 17(11), 1380-1388.
  • Boots M, White A, Best A & Bowers R (2014) . Evolution, 68(6), 1594-1606.
  • Best A, White A & Boots M (2014) . Evolution, 68(5), 1426-1435.
  • Best A & Hoyle A (2013) . Interface Focus, 3(6).
  • Best A (2013) . Bull Math Biol, 75(11), 2241-2256.
  • Best A & Hoyle A (2013) . Ecol Evol, 3(7), 2223-2232.
  • Best A, Tidbury H, White A & Boots M (2013) . J R Soc Interface, 10(80), 20120887.
  • Donnelly R, Best A, White A & Boots M (2013) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 280(1751).
  • Hoyle A, Best A & Bowers RG (2012) Evolution of host resistance towards pathogen exclusion: the role of predators. EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY RESEARCH, 14(2), 125-146.
  • Tidbury HJ, Best A & Boots M (2012) . Proc Biol Sci, 279(1746), 4505-4512.
  • Boots M, White A, Best A & Bowers R (2012) . Ecol Lett, 15(10), 1104-1111.
  • Morozov A & Best A (2012) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 307, 29-36.
  • Best A, Long G, White A & Boots M (2012) . Proc Biol Sci, 279(1741), 3234-3240.
  • Best A, Webb S, Antonovics J & Boots M (2012) . Theoretical Ecology, 5(2), 211-217.
  • Vale PF, Wilson AJ, Best A, Boots M & Little TJ (2011) . American Naturalist, 177(4), 510-521.
  • Best A, Webb S, Antonovics J & Boots M (2011) Local transmission processes and disease-driven host extinctions. Theoretical Ecology, 1-7.
  • Best A, Webb S, White A & Boots M (2011) . Proc Biol Sci, 278(1715), 2216-2222.
  • Best A, White A, Kisdi E, Antonovics J, Brockhurst MA & Boots M (2010) . Am Nat, 176(1), 63-71.
  • Best A, White A & Boots M (2010) . Evolution, 64(2), 348-357.
  • Best A, White A & Boots M (2009) . Am Nat, 173(6), 779-791.
  • Boots M, Best A, Miller MR & White A (2009) . Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 364(1513), 27-36.
  • Best A, White A & Boots M (2008) . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 105(52), 20786-20791.
  • S. Best A, Johst K, Münkemüller T & M. J. Travis J (2007) . Oikos, 116(9), 1531-1539.
  • Travis JMJ, Munkemuller T, Burton OJ, Best A, Dytham C & Johst K (2007) . MOL BIOL EVOL, 24(10), 2334-2343.
  • Best A, Guth S & Boots M () . Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

Book chapters

  • Ashby B & Best A (2024) , Reference Module in Life Sciences Elsevier

Datasets

  • Pidwill G, Gibson J, Sutton J, Best A, Renshaw S & Foster S .

Preprints

  • Woodruff J & Best A (2026) , openRxiv.
  • Best A & Cunniffe NJ (2025) , openRxiv.
  • Singh P & Best A (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Best A, Singh P, Ward C, Vitale C, Oliver M, Idris L & Poulston A (2021) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Wren L & Best A (2020) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Research group

Mathematical & Statistical Modelling

Grants

Prizes and Awards 

Fulbright Scholarship (2021)

Teaching activities

I teach on a number of mathematical modelling modules, including:
* MPS125 Mathematical Modelling
* MPS321 / MPS465 Mathematical Biology
* MPS358 Mathematical Modelling of Natural Systems
* MPS112 Essential Skills for Chemists
* MPS212 Programming in Python

Professional activities and memberships

London Mathematical Society Good Practice Steering Committee co-chair

Links