Modelling the Undead: Zombies and Health

Modelling the Undead: Zombies and Health runs at Grassroots Workspace on Saturday 31 October, part of the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival. It's a Halloween-themed simulation that puts you in the hot seat: you step into the shoes of a decision-maker — a government official, a military strategist, a healthcare leader, or a politician — and respond to a live zombie pandemic in real time.

The whole thing is grounded in real-world epidemiology. You'll navigate a fictional outbreak and make the calls that shape how the zombies spread, how resources get allocated, and how lives are saved. Along the way, you'll pick up the modelling principles that guide actual public health decisions, from managing pandemics to medicines development. It's a way of seeing how the math works behind the scenes when real-world health crises are being managed.

Running the session are Phil McEwan, Cerys Mitchell, and Thomas Padgett from HEOR. The event is put on by IF Oxford as part of the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival, which is staged by The Oxfordshire Science Festival (charity #1151361), and it closes with a drinks reception.

It starts at 7:30 pm at Grassroots Workspace, 46 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HT. Tickets are Pay What You Decide, with a free option available and a suggested donation of £7.50 per person.