Physical insights into the evolutionary dynamics of viruses*

Viruses can replicate and mutate with remarkable speed. When we encounter a virus, whether through natural infection or vaccination, our immune systems develop specialized cells and antibodies to help clear the infection and protect us against future exposure to similar pathogens. However, viruses like HIV, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 can still evolve to escape immune control. This is one of the main reasons why the immune system can't clear HIV infection, and why vaccines against viruses like influenza and SARS-CoV-2 need constant updates. In this talk, I'll tell you about our recent efforts to use ideas from physics to understand the evolutionary dynamics of pathogens like these. Building predictive models of viral evolution could help us to design better, more effective vaccines and treatments against infectious disease.