Epidemiology and Geography Group

Thomas Van Boeckel is a spatial epidemiologist at the One Health Institute. He is also a visiting fellow at the One Health Trust, a WHO collaborating center on antimicrobial resistance in Washington, DC. Before joining UZH, he held positions at ETH Zürich, Princeton, and Oxford. He earned his PhD from the Free University of Brussels (ULB).

On August 1, 2024 he was appointed Associate Professor One Health with focus in Epidemiology by the Vetsuisse Council and the University of Zurich. This position holds dual affiliations both with the Vetsuisse Faculty as well as the Faculty of Medicine.

Thom and his team focus on assembling large databases of spatial data and developing methods to map infectious diseases in animals and humans. Their primary interest is on mapping antimicrobial resistance in animals raised for food in low- and middle-income countries, aiming to inform policymakers and reduce the global burden of antimicrobial resistance.

Thom also takes an interest in a range of other spatial modelling challenges at the intersection of human health, animal health, and ecology. These include mapping regions at risk of avian influenza outbreaks, mapping the geographic distribution of livestock, mapping the global distribution of bushmeat hunting, mapping accessibility to veterinary services, as well as accessibility to antiretroviral therapy in Africa, mapping bark beetle attacks in Scandinavia, and forecasting intensive care occupancy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. By addressing these issues, Thom and his team try to advance our understanding of the spatial dimensions of the health of animals and humans.