Dr. Affan Shoukat’s project will contribute to worldwide efforts to strengthen global readiness for future pandemics. (Photo by Trevor Hopkin)
If COVID taught us anything, it’s that the world was unprepared for what was about to hit it.
There had to be a way to better prepare for pandemics and infectious health emergencies.
One way is through artificial intelligence. Now, a University of Regina researcher has received new federal support to advance the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in protecting public health. Dr. Affan Shoukat, SGI Assistant Professor in Data Science in the mathematics department and an adjunct professor in computer science, is leading a multi-national team between Canada and France that has been awarded funding through a Canada-France call for proposals on artificial intelligence, and a joint initiative of National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canada Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and IVADO, in collaboration with the French National Research Agency (ANR).
Shoukat’s project, Artificial Intelligence for Multi-Scale Predictions in Infectious Health Emergencies, will receive $195,000 from NSERC and $105,000 from CIHR.
His research team is developing the Hybrid Epidemiological Networks platform, an innovative framework that blends advanced AI techniques with long-established epidemiological modelling. The goal is to create more adaptable models that can deliver clearer insights into disease transmission, enhancing forecasting accuracy and improving the effectiveness of health interventions during pandemics and infectious disease emergencies.
Dr. Affan Shoukat was awarded a Canada-France AI grant for stronger outbreak responses. (Photo by Trevor Hopkin)
“AI has enormous potential, but it can sometimes act like a black box, giving us results that are difficult to interpret,” Shoukat said. “By combining AI with the foundational principles of epidemiology, we can build models that make better predictions and help public health officials understand how a disease is spreading the way it is. That transparency is crucial when lives are at stake.”
The project will contribute to international efforts to strengthen global readiness for future pandemics by merging the strengths of Canadian and French research ecosystems.
Shoukat’s project is one of only 10 collaborative AI projects that were recently announced.
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