Dr. Nina H. Fefferman is a Professor and Director of the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. She also serves as Director of the NSF-funded Center for Analysis and Prediction of Pandemic Expansion (APPEX). Prior to joining Arizona State University, she held faculty appointments in both the departments of Mathematics and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she also served for four years as the Director of the National Institute for Modeling Biological Systems (NIMBioS) and Associate Director of the UT One Health Initiative.
Dr. Fefferman’s research lies at the intersection of mathematical biology, epidemiology, and complex systems science. Her work focuses on understanding how disease dynamics interact with behavior, social structure, and environmental systems, with particular emphasis on higher-order interactions, network dynamics, and the co-evolution of biological and social processes. She has led and contributed to numerous interdisciplinary efforts aimed at improving pandemic prediction, preparedness, and response, including large-scale federally funded initiatives such as APPEX. Her scholarship spans topics from infectious disease modeling and public health policy to resilience in socio-environmental and technological systems, with applications ranging from wildlife disease ecology to human behavioral responses during outbreaks.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Fefferman has secured substantial research support as principal investigator and collaborator on projects funded by agencies including the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and others, totaling over $37 million in funding. She has authored an extensive body of peer-reviewed publications across many different disciplines, reflecting her commitment to integrating mathematics with real-world biological and societal challenges.
In addition to her research leadership, Dr. Fefferman has played key roles in building interdisciplinary research communities. Through her leadership in national research centers and organizations such as The EDGE Foundation, she has supported training, mentorship, and professional development for students and early-career researchers across mathematics and the life sciences. She has mentored dozens of graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and undergraduate researchers, and has developed innovative curricula at the interface of mathematics, ecology, and epidemiology.
Dr. Fefferman’s contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including international fellowships, research and service awards, and invitations to speak at major scientific venues and policy forums, including participation in a White House roundtable on emerging technologies for preventing health emergencies. Her work has also been widely featured in major media outlets, reflecting both the scientific impact and public relevance of her research on infectious disease dynamics and complex adaptive systems.