Shaun Keegan
He/Him
I am gay and I am a spatial disease ecologist. //
I’ve been interested in science from a very young age. Eventually, I gained admission to study parasitology and zoology at my hometown institution, the University of Glasgow. I became fascinated with how mathematical models could describe and predict the natural world, leading me to a PhD in the spatial ecology of host parasite communities at the University of Liverpool. Here, I’ve been working on a combination of data analysis and mathematical modelling of a wild rodent community and its parasites. I’ve got just under a year left, and a lot of great science still to do! In my spare time, I’m a big fan of comic books and board games. For the latter, I’ve been applying my disease-biology knowledge to try to beat Pandemic, with mixed success. LGBT+ representation in STEM is vital for young researchers to see ourselves in the leaders of the field. Recent events, such as the LGBTsteminar in the United Kingdom, have been a great introduction to the broader LGBT+ scientific community.