Alessandro Vespignani

When can we say that the pandemic is over?

The rapid decline in coronavirus infection rates in the U.S. might make it feel like the end of the pandemic is upon us. It’s not yet. But the point at which we do consider it over may be confusing—and personal.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki June 14, 2021

Visitors wear face masks while watching a presentation in a theater at the Aquarium of the Pacific on its first day of reopening to public in Long Beach, Calif. on March 16, 2021.

How soon will the COVID-19 pandemic end? It depends.

“It could be a matter of weeks,” says Alessandro Vespignani, whose team has created models projecting possible future outbreaks of COVID-19 in the U.S. for the CDC. But that depends on whether people’s real behavior continues to align with the Northeastern team’s scenarios.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki May 5, 2021

These researchers are predicting COVID-19 trends weeks before standard surveillance

Using information from social media, clinical databases, and applications that monitor where and how often people are traveling, The MOBS Lab has created a system that successfully predicts COVID-19 trends weeks in advance every three out of four times.

by Emily Arntsen - contributor March 9, 2021

All your COVID-19 vaccine questions answered

In anticipation of pivotal vaccine decisions that will be made by the Food and Drug Administration this week, Northeastern faculty from the Bouvé College of Health Sciences discussed the most pressing vaccine questions during a Facebook Live panel on Wednesday.

by Emily Arntsen December 9, 2020

David Lazer, University Distinguished Professor of political science and computer and information science, left, and Alessandro Vespignani, Sternberg Family Distinguished University Professor of physics, computer science, and health sciences, spoke on a panel about the effects of COVID-19. Photos by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

They’re modeling how the pandemic will play out–and what we think about it

One night last February, on his way to a yoga class, professor David Lazer poked his head into the office…

by Emily Arntsen October 15, 2020

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Flu season is coming and COVID-19 is still here. Can disease forecasts tell them apart?

Both viruses attack the respiratory system and can have similar symptoms. “Something like this is completely unprecedented,” says Alessandro Vespignani, who directs Northeastern’s Network Science Institute. “Having a major pandemic and then trying to get insight on the seasonal flu—it’s a completely new game.”

by Laura Castañón October 13, 2020

Alessandro Vespignani is the Sternberg Family Distinguished University Professor of physics, computer science, and health sciences, and director of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

If rich countries monopolize COVID-19 vaccines, it could cause twice as many deaths as distributing them equally

Researchers from Northeastern’s Network Science Institute have partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to predict COVID-19 deaths based on two different ways of distributing vaccines.

by Emily Arntsen September 14, 2020

Northeastern joins the Trinity Challenge as founding partner to stop the next pandemic before it starts

The Trinity Challenge, a global public health initiative and competition, is bringing together partners such as Microsoft, Google, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, research universities, and organizations in the public and private sectors, with the united goal to get ahead of the next pandemic.

by Emily Arntsen September 13, 2020

Commuters wearing face masks to protect against the new coronavirus walk across an intersection in the central business district in Beijing. AP Photo by Mark Schiefelbein

Why is China containing COVID-19 better than the US?

“The reduction of contacts among the population is what has really abated the epidemic in China,” says Alessandro Vespignani, who directs Northeastern’s Network Science Institute. “‘Social distancing’ works.”

by Laura Castañón and Eunice Esomonu June 26, 2020

‘A network is crucial to describe how infectious disease spreads, and this is what we do’

On Thursday, Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern, joined Alessandro Vespignani, who directs the Network Science Institute, to discuss where we are now in the COVID-19 crisis, where we’re headed, and what policymakers can do to prepare for the next pandemic.

by Laura Castañón May 14, 2020