Farouk Abimbola Abdulsalam

Farouk Abimbola Abdulsalam is a mathematical modeller from Nigeria, currently pursuing an MSc in Modelling for Global Health at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford. He is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Oxford and a member of Linacre College. Farouk is passionate about using mathematical modelling to inform infectious disease control and support evidence-based policy in resource-limited settings.

He holds a degree in Mathematics from the Federal University of Technology, Minna. His undergraduate research—awarded with distinction—focused on modelling Ebola virus transmission to assess the impact of contact tracing in under-resourced health systems. Farouk contributed to Nigeria’s MPOX response, investigating syndemic factors in collaboration with medical professionals. He also supported epidemic control efforts with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as a data analyst on the COVID-19 Vanguard Team. As an ad-hoc staff member for the National Population Census, he trained enumerators to register under-five children in remote areas, improving access to healthcare and strengthening data systems. He has led local vaccination campaigns against polio and malaria and currently contributes to free medical outreach through the Aspire Alliance for Niger State Youth (AANY). Farouk is also a member of the LIND LEAGUE medical research community and leads a research team studying malaria prevalence and community protective behaviours in Niger State.

At Oxford, Farouk aims to advance his skills in mathematical modelling and public health research. He plans to pursue a DPhil in infectious disease modelling and support health-focused NGOs and public institutions in translating scientific insights into impactful policies that improve lives across Africa.