Abba Gumel is a Professor at University of Maryland (where he holds The Michael and Eugenia Brin Endowed E-Nnovate Chair in Mathematics).  He received his B.Sc. degree in mathematics from Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria and a PhD in Mathematics from Brunel University London, United Kingdom, in 1994.  His research work spans three main areas of Applied Mathematics, namely Mathematical Biology, Applied Dynamical Systems and Computational Mathematics.  In particular, his work focuses on the use of mathematical approaches to gain insight into the transmission dynamics and control of emerging and re-emerging diseases. His recent emphasis is on modelling the effect of climate change on the global distribution and burden of vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, malaria, West Nile virus and Zika. Professor Gumel has written over 150 journal articles and edited three books.  He is actively involved in numerous capacity-building efforts in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines across the continent of Africa and other developing regions of the world.  He is a member of numerous professional organizations, and has received numerous awards and prizes in recognition of his research excellence and services.