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Jenicca Poongavanan
CERI Team

Jenicca
Poongavanan

Postdoctoral Researcher
26848120@sun.ac.za +27 21 808 2071 LinkedIn
// Affiliations
Primary
CERI - Stellenbosch University
// Education
PhD in Infectious Disease Modelling
Stellenbosch University, 2025

Dr Jenicca Poongavanan is a spatial epidemiologist focused on climate-sensitive arboviruses. Her research integrates climate modelling, vector ecology, human mobility, and genomic data to understand how environmental change shapes transmission across Africa and beyond. She develops predictive risk models to strengthen early warning systems and support climate-informed public health decision-making.

// Research Output

Publications

2025
Spatiotemporal disease suitability prediction for Oropouche virus and the role of vectors across the Americas

Poongavanan J, Dunaiski M, D’or G, Kraemer M, Giovanetti M, Lim A, Brady O, Baxter C, Fonseca V, Alcantara L, de Oliveira T, Tegally H

medRxiv
doi: 10.1101/2025.02.28.25323068.
2024
Dynamics and ecology of a multi-stage expansion of Oropouche virus in Brazil

Tegally H, Dellicour S, Poongavanan J, Mavian C, Dor G, Fonseca V, Tagliamonte M, Dunaiski M, Moir M, Wilkinson E, de Albuquerque C, Frutuoso L, , Holmes E, Baxter C, Lessells R, Kraemer M, Lourenço J, Alcantara L, de Oliveira T, Giovanetti M

doi: 10.1101/2024.10.29.24316328.
2024
Dengue virus importation risks in Africa: a modelling study

Poongavanan J, Lourenço J, Tsui J, Colizza V, Ramphal Y, Baxter C, Kraemer M, Dunaiski M, de Oliveira T, Tegally H

The Lancet Planetary Health
8(12):e1043-e1054. doi: 10.1016/s2542-5196(24)00272-9.
2024
Impacts of climate change-related human migration on infectious diseases

Tsui JLH, Pena RE, Moir M, Inward RPD, Wilkinson E, San JE, Poongavanan J, Bajaj S, Gutierrez B, Dasgupta A, de Oliveira T, Kraemer MUG, Tegally H, Sambaturu P

Nature Climate Change
14, 793–802 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02078-z
2024
Disentangling seasonal introduction and establishment risk of dengue in Africa

Poongavanan J, Lourenço J, Tsui JHL, Colizza V, Ramphal Y, Baxter C, Kraemer MOG, Dunaiski M, de Oliveira T, Tegally H

medRxiv [Preprint]
https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.07.24306997
2024
Managing and assembling population-scale data streams, tools and workflows to plan for future pandemics within the INFORM-Africa Consortium

Poongavanan J, Xavier J, Dunaiski M, Tegally H, Oladejo S, Ayorinde O, Wilkinson E, Baxter C, de Oliveira T

S Afr J Sci.
119(5-6):14569. doi: 10.17159/sajs.2023/14659
2023
Dispersal patterns and influence of air travel during the global expansion of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Tegally H, Wilkinson E, Tsui JL, Moir M, Martin D, Brito AF, Giovanetti M, Khan K, Huber C, Bogoch II, San JE, Poongavanan J, Xavier JS, Candido DDS, Romero F, Baxter C, Pybus OG, Lessells RJ, Faria NR, Kraemer MUG, de Oliveira T

Cell
S0092-8674(23)00641-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.06.001
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