Not every epidemiologist begins in a lab. Some begin with abstract mathematics.
This is exactly the case for our manager, Janne Estill.
After completing a Master’s degree in pure mathematics, he was looking for a path where his theoretical training could make a real impact. That opportunity appeared when he discovered a PhD project focused on mathematical models of HIV infection — a way to apply rigorous mathematical thinking to a deeply human public-health problem.
He took the offer, and that decision shaped the next 15 years of his career.
Today, Janne identifies more as an epidemiologist than a mathematician, yet his mathematical foundation continues to influence how he analyzes questions, structures problems, and approaches evidence.
His journey is a reminder that epidemiology is not a single-door discipline.
People enter from mathematics, medicine, biology, social sciences, economics, and many other backgrounds — and the field thrives precisely because of this diversity.
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