Martín
López-García

Associate Professor

Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Mathematics

University of Leeds

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About Me

I am an Associate Professor in the School of Mathematics at the University of Leeds. During 2016-2019, I was an MRC Skills Development Fellow and the PI for the MRC funded project

Mathematical modelling of the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria in healthcare settings: a stochastic approach

In this project, I developed new stochastic models (and new mathematical tools for analysing them) regarding the spread of bacteria in hospital settings, analysing the role played by environmental contamination and hand-surface contact transmission.

I am a member of the Mathematical Biology and Medicine Group at the University of Leeds, and of the Stochastic Modelling Group at the Complutense University of Madrid. I carry out research in Mathematical Modelling in Health & Disease, and I am interested in a variety of processes involved in Infection & Immunity, including the analysis of the immune response, the within-host modelling of viral and bacterial infections, as well as the analysis of population-level epidemic processes.

I also collaborate in the HECOIRA project, an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research council and University of Leeds four year funded project in collaboration with St James’ University Teaching Hospital in Leeds, Hairmyres Hospital in Lanarkshire, Monaghans and Apex4D. In this project, led by Prof. Catherine Noakes (School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds), the aim is to develop new approaches that optimise hospital design and operation with core infection control and patient wellbeing in mind.

Research

You can find my publications below. Click on the title of any publication and you will be redirected to the paper site.

    2024
  1. Edwards AJ, King M-F, Noakes CJ, Peckham D, López-García M (2024) The Wells-Riley model revisited: randomness, heterogeneity and transient behaviours. Risk Analysis, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14295.

  2. Edwards AJ, King M-F, López-García M, Peckham D, Noakes CJ (2024) Assessing the effects of transient weather conditions on airborne transmission risk in naturally ventilated hospitals. Journal of Hospital Infection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2024.02.017.

  3. Williams B, Paterson J, Rawsthorne-Manning HJ, Jeffrey P-A, Gillard JJ, Lythe G, Laws TR, López-García M (2024) Quantifying in vitro B. anthracis growth and PA production and decay: a mathematical modelling approach. npj Systems Biology and Applications, 10: 33. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41540-024-00357-1.

  4. Gamboa M, López-García M, Lopez-Herrero MJ (2024) On the exact and population bi-dimensional reproduction numbers in a stochastic SVIR model with imperfect vaccine. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 468: 128526.

  5. Williams B, Carruthers J, Gillard JJ, Lythe G, Perelson AS, Ribeiro RM, Molina-París C, López-García M (2024) The reproduction number and its probability distribution for stochastic viral dynamics. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 21: 2120230400.

    6. 2023
  6. Bell DS, James P, López-García M (2023) Social distance approximation on public transport using stereo depth camera and passenger pose estimation. Sensors, 23: 9665.

  7. Luque Duque D, Gaevert JA, Thomas PG, López-García M, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2023) Multi-variate model of T cell clonotype competition and homeostasis. Scientific Reports 13, Article number: 21995.

  8. Chalub FACC, Gómez-Corral A, López-García M, Palacios-Rodríguez F (2023) A Markov chain model to investigate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals. Studies in Applied Mathematics, doi: 10.1111/sapm.12637.

  9. Edwards AJ, Benson L, Guo Z, López-García M, Noakes CJ, Peckham D, King M-F (2023) A mathematical model for assessing transient airborne infection risks in a multi-zone hospital ward. Building and Environment, 238: 110344. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110344.

    10. 2022
  10. Gómez-Corral A, Langwade J, López-García M, Molina-París C (2022) Sufficient conditions for regularity, positive recurrence and absorption in level-dependent QBD processes and related block-structured Markov chains. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences, 1-11. doi:10.1002/mma.8938.

  11. Feliciangeli F, Dreiwi H, López-García M, Castro Ponce M, Molina-París C, Lythe G (2022) Why are cell populations maintained via multiple compartments? Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 19: 20220629.

  12. Belluccini G, López-García M, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2022) Counting generations in birth and death processes with competing Erlang and exponential waiting times. Scientific Reports, 12: 11289.

  13. Walker MD, Vincent JC, Benson L, Stone CA, Harris G, Ambler RE, Watts P, Slatter T, López-García M, King M-F, Noakes CJ, Thomas RJ (2022) Effect of relative humidity on transfer of aerosol deposited artificial and human saliva from surfaces to artificial finger-pads. Viruses, 14: 1048.

  14. Li S, López-García M, Lawrence ND, Cutillo L (2022) Two-way sparse network inference for count data. In: Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics. PMLR: Volume 151.

  15. Miller D, King M-F, Nally J, Drodge JR, Reeves GI, Bate AM, Cooper H, Dalrymple U, Hall I, López-García M, Parker ST, Noakes CJ (2022) Modeling the factors that influence exposure to SARS-CoV-2 on a subway train carriage. Indoor Air, doi: 10.1111/ina.12976.

    16. 2021
  16. Locke M, Lythe G, López-García M, Munoz-Fontela C, Carroll M, Molina-París C (2021) Quantification of Type I Interferon Inhibition by Viral Proteins: Ebola Virus as a Case Study. Viruses, 13: 2441.

  17. Paterson J, López-García M, Gillard J, Laws TR, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2021) Analysis of single bacterium dynamics in a stochastic model of toxin-producing bacteria. In: Performance Engineering and Stochastic Modeling (pp. 210-225). Springer, Cham.

  18. Gamboa M, López-García M, Lopez-Herrero MJ (2021) A stochastic SVIR model with imperfect vaccine and external source of infection. In: Performance Engineering and Stochastic Modeling (pp. 197-209). Springer, Cham.

  19. Li S, López-García M, Cutillo L (2021) Simulation-based evaluation of the reliability of Bayesian hierarchical models for sc-RNAseq data. 20th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing and Communications (IUCC/CIT/DSCI/SmartCNS), pp. 345-352, doi: 10.1109/IUCC-CIT-DSCI-SmartCNS55181.2021.00063.

  20. Wilson AM, King M-F, López-García M, Clifton IJ, Proctor J, Reynolds KA, Noakes CJ (2021) Modeling fomite-mediated SARS-CoV-2 exposure through PPE doffing in a hospital environment. Indoor Air, doi: 10.1111/ina.12938.

  21. Williams B, López-García M, Gillard JJ, Laws TR, Lythe G, Carruthers J, Finnie T, Molina-París C (2021) A stochastic intracellular model of anthrax infection with spore germination heterogeneity. Frontiers in Immunology, 2865.

  22. Wilson AM, King M-F, López-García M, Clifton IJ, Proctor J, Reynolds KA, Noakes CJ (2021) Effects of patient room layout on viral accruement on healthcare professionals' hands. Indoor Air, doi: 10.1111/ina.12834.

  23. Wilmes S, Jeffrey P-A, Martinez-Fabregas J, Hafer M, Fyfe PK, Pohler E, Gaggero S, López-García M, Lythe G, Taylor C, Guerrier T, Launay D, Mitra S, Piehler J, Molina-París C, Moraga Gonzalez I (2021) Competitive binding of STATs to receptor phospho-Tyr motifs accounts for altered cytokine responses. eLife, 10: e66014.

  24. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M, Rodríguez-Bernal M (2021) On time-discretized versions of the stochastic SIS epidemic model: A comparative analysis. Journal of Mathematical Biology, 82: 46.

  25. de la Higuera L, López-García M, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2021) CTLA-4-Mediated Ligand Trans-Endocytosis: A Stochastic Model. In: Mathematical, Computational and Experimental T Cell Immunology (pp. 257-280). Springer, Cham.

    26. 2020
  26. King M-F, Wilson AM, López-García M, Proctor J, Peckham DG, Clifton IJ, Dancer SJ, Noakes CJ (2020) Why is mock care not a good proxy for predicting hand contamination during patient care? Journal of Hospital Infection, 109: 44-51.

  27. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M, López-Herrero MJ, Taipe D (2020) On first-passage times and sojourn times in finite QBD processes and their applications in epidemics. Mathematics, 8: 1718.

  28. Liao LE, Carruthers J, Smither SJ, Weller SA, Williamson D, Laws TR, Garcia-Dorival I, Hiscox J, Holder BP, Beauchemin CAA, Perelson AS, López-García M, Lythe G, Barr J, Molina-París C (2020) Quantification of Ebola virus replication kinetics in vitro. PLoS Computational Biology, 16: e1008375.

  29. Jeffrey P-A, López-García M, Castro M, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2020) On exact and approximate approaches for stochastic receptor-ligand competition dynamics: an ecological perspective. Mathematics, 8: 1014.

  30. Wilson AM, King M-F, López-García M, Weir MH, Sexton JD, Kostov GE, Julian TR, Canales RA, Noakes CJ, Reynolds KA (2020) Evaluating a transfer gradient assumption in a fomite-mediated microbial transmission model using an experimental and Bayesian approach. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 17: 20200121.

  31. Wilson AM, Abney SE, King M-F, Weir MH, López-García M, Sexton JD, Dancer S, Proctor J, Noakes CJ, Reynolds KA (2020) COVID-19 and non-traditional mask use: How do various materials compare in infection risk reduction for those wearing masks? Journal of Hospital Infection, 105: 640-642.

  32. King M-F, López-García M, Atedoghu KP, Zhang N, Wilson AM, Weterings M, Hiwar W, Dancer SJ, Noakes CJ, Fletcher LA (2020) Bacterial transfer to fingertips during sequential surface contacts with and without gloves. Indoor Air, 30: 993-1004.

  33. Carruthers J, Lythe G, López-García M, Gillard JJ, Laws TR, Lukaszewski R, Molina-París C (2020) Stochastic dynamics of Francisella tularensis infection and replication. PLoS Computational Biology, 16: e1007752.

    34. 2019
  34. Carruthers J, López-García M, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2019) Multi-scale modelling of bacterial infections. Mathematics Today, Sept 2019.

  35. Ward J, López-García M (2019) Exact analysis of summary statistics for continuous-time discrete-state Markov processes on networks using graph-automorphism lumping. Applied Network Science, 4: 108.

  36. López-García M, King M-F, Noakes CJ (2019) A multicompartment SIS stochastic model with zonal ventilation for the spread of nosocomial infections: detection, outbreak management and infection control. Risk Analysis, 39: 1825-1842.

  37. de la Higuera L, López-García M, Castro M, Abourashchi N, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2019) Fate of a naive T cell: a stochastic journey. Frontiers in Immunology, 10: 194.

    38. 2018
  38. Castro M, López-García M, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2018) First passage events in biological systems with non-exponential inter-event times. Scientific Reports, 8: 15054.

  39. López-García M, Nowicka M, Bendtsen C, Lythe G, Ponnambalam S, Molina-París C (2018) Quantifying phosphorylation timescales of receptor-ligand complexes: a Markovian matrix-analytic approach. Royal Society Open Biology, 8: 180126.

  40. Carruthers J, López-García M, Gillard JJ, Laws TR, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2018) A novel stochastic multi-scale model of Francisella tularensis infection to predict risk of infection in a laboratory. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9: 1165.

  41. López-García M, Kypraios T (2018) A unified stochastic modelling framework for the spread of nosocomial infections. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 15: 20180060.

  42. Sambaturu N, Mukherjee S, López-García M, Molina-París C, Menon GI, Chandra N (2018) Role of genetic heterogeneity in determining the epidemiological severity of H1N1 influenza. PLoS Computational Biology, 14: e1006069.

  43. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2018) Perturbation analysis in finite LD-QBD processes and applications to epidemic models. Numerical Linear Algebra with Applications, 25: e2160.

  44. López-García M, Nowicka M, Fearnley GW, Ponnambalam S, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2018) Performance measures in stochastic processes and the matrix-analytic approach. In: Munsky B, Hlavacek W, Tsimring L (eds.) Quantitative Biology: Theory, Computational Methods and Examples of Models, MIT Press, 2018

  45. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2018) A within-host stochastic model for nematode infection. Mathematics, 6: 143.

  46. López-García M, Aruru M, Pyne S (2018) Health analytics and disease modeling for better understanding of healthcare associated infections. BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences, 3: 69-74.

    47. 2017
  47. Artalejo JR, Gómez-Corral A, López-García M, Molina-París C (2017) Stochastic descriptors to study the fate and potential of naive T cell clonotypes in the periphery. Journal of Mathematical Biology, 74: 673-708.

  48. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2017) On SIR epidemic models with generally distributed infectious periods: number of secondary cases and probability of infection. International Journal of Biomathematics, 10: 1750024 (13 pages).

  49. de la Higuera L, López-García M, Lythe G, Molina-París C (2017) IL-2 stimulation of regulatory T cells: a stochastic and algorithmic approach. In: Pahle J, Matthäus F, Graw F (eds.) Modeling Cellular Systems, 81-105.

    50. 2016
  50. López-García M (2016) Stochastic descriptors in an SIR epidemic model for heterogeneous individuals in small networks. Mathematical Biosciences, 271: 42-61.

    51. 2015
  51. Economou A, Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2015) A stochastic SIS epidemic model with heterogeneous contacts. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 421: 78-97.

  52. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2015) Lifetime and reproduction of a marked individual in a two-species competition process. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 264: 223-245.

    53. 2014
  53. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2014) Maximum queue lengths during a fixed time interval in the M/M/c retrial queue. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 235: 124-136.

  54. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2014) Control strategies for a stochastic model of host-parasite interaction in a seasonal environment. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 354: 1-11.

    55. 2013
  55. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2013) Maximum population sizes in host-parasitoid models. International Journal of Biomathematics, 6: 1350002 (28 pages).

  56. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2013) Modeling host-parasitoid interactions with correlated events. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 37: 5452-5463.

    57. 2012
  57. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2012) Extinction times and size of the surviving species in a two-species competition process. Journal of Mathematical Biology, 64: 255-289.

  58. Gómez-Corral A, López-García M (2012) On the number of births and deaths during an extinction cycle, and the survival of a certain individual in a competition process. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 64: 236-259.

Media

My research has attracted some attention from different media. The research on SARS-CoV-2 recently published at The Journal of Hospital Infection, carried out in collaboration with colleagues at Civil Engineering in Leeds, has been recently highlighted in the Sunday Post and the Scottish Mail:

Vacuum cleaner bags make the best homemade face masks, NHS research finds (Sunday Post, 07-06-2020, in English)
The vacuum bag mask - for clean bill of health (The Scottish Mail, 07-06-2020, in English)

This is a recent article published by The Hindu Indian national newspaper, about our recent work published in PLoS Computational Biology:

Genetic diversity can prevent rapid spread of infectious diseases (The Hindu, 31-03-2018, in English)

A related piece of news is

Diversity in our genes may hold the key to the spread of infections (Research Matters, 10-09-2018, in English)

I was also interviewed by the Spanish newspaper "Infolibre", within its "Talento a la fuga" (Fleeing talent!) section, as an example of Spanish scientists having to leave Spain due to budget cuts in science carried out by the Spanish government

Spanish mathematician as an example of the British commitment to research (InfoLibre, 08-05-2016, in Spanish)

You can also find many news online due to the Vicent Caselles prize that I was recently awarded by the Spanish Mathematical Society and the BBVA Foundation, for the research carried out during my PhD and early postdoctoral stage

Awarded for "solving challenges of our time" (El Pais, 04-10-2016, in Spanish)
Once again the Vicent Caselles awards recognize originality, relevance and creativity of six Spanish mathematicians (BBVA, 18-07-2016, in English)
Reward for the scientific contributions of six young mathematical researchers (Europa Press, 15-07-2016, in Spanish)

You can find some videos and a personal interview by the Spanish newspaper ABC here

Six young Spaniards receive the Vicent Caselles Mathematical Research Awards (ABC, 04-10-2016, in Spanish)

You can also find here a piece of news at the Madrid regional TV (TeleMadrid) devoted to my research:

Spread of bacteria in hospitals analysed with mathematical models (TeleMadrid, 06-10-2016, in Spanish)

Teaching

I have participated in the following teaching activities:
  1. Module: MATH5315M Applied Statistics and Probability, MSc in Financial Mathematics, Leeds University Business School.
    Hours: 40 (Module leader)
    Date: Semester 1, 2019/2020
    Place: University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

  2. Module: MATH5315M Applied Statistics and Probability, MSc in Financial Mathematics, Leeds University Business School.
    Hours: 40 (Module leader)
    Date: Semester 1, 2018/2019
    Place: University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

  3. Module: MATH5315M Applied Statistics and Probability, MSc in Financial Mathematics, Leeds University Business School.
    Hours: 40 (Module leader)
    Date: Semester 1, 2017/2018
    Place: University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

  4. Module: MATH5315M Applied Statistics and Probability, MSc in Financial Mathematics, Leeds University Business School.
    Hours: 40 (Module leader)
    Date: Semester 1, 2016/2017
    Place: University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

  5. Module: MATH1050 Calculus and Mathematical Analysis, BSc Mathematics, School of Mathematics.
    Hours: 10 (Tutor)
    Date: Semester 1, 2016/2017
    Place: University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

  6. Module: Probability Theory, Degree in Mathematics.
    Hours: 45 (Tutor)
    Date: Semester 1, 2012/2013
    Place: Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.

  7. Module: Probability Theory, Degree in Mathematics.
    Hours: 60 (Tutor)
    Date: Semester 1, 2011/2012
    Place: Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.
I have also participated in several development assistance projects, organized by the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) and the Spanish Agency for the International Development Assistance (AECID). The aim of these projects, led by Dr. Begoña Vitoriano, is to improve the formation of the students in MSc Statistics in different developing countries, providing them fundamental tools to participate in incipient research activity in their country, contributing to its development. This participation has meant teaching as lecturer the modules:
  1. Module: Stochastic Processes, MSc in Statistics.
    Hours: 45 (Module leader)
    Date: September 2016
    Place: Maputo (Mozambique).

  2. Module: Stochastic Processes, MSc in Statistics.
    Hours: 45 (Module leader)
    Date: September 2014
    Place: Maputo (Mozambique).

  3. Module: Stochastic Processes, MSc in Statistics.
    Hours: 45 (Module leader)
    Date: August 2013
    Place: San Salvador (El Salvador).
Other teaching activities amount to:
  1. Activity: ESTALMAT lecturer (Special program for the encouragement of the mathematical talent among highschool students, Spanish Government).
    Place and Date: Valencia, Spain, 2009.

  2. Activity: Instructor in the VI Modelling Week UCM (Event for mathematics degree students modeling problems brought by different companies, organized by the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain).
    Place and Date: Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, 2012.

Contact Me

If you are interested in my research, or would like to enquiry about the possibility of carrying out a PhD in this research area -Mathematical Biology, Immunology and Epidemiology-, please drop me an email.

Location

Office 10.18d, School of Mathematics, University of Leeds

Phone

+44 (0)113-343-8951

Email

m.lopezgarcia@leeds.ac.uk
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