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Subject: SMB Digest v12i08
SMB Digest February 22, 2012 Volume 12 Issue 08
ISSN 1086-6566
Editor: Amina Eladdadi eladdada(at)strose(dot)edu
Note:
Information about the Society for Mathematical Biology, including an
application for membership, may be found in the SMB Home Page,
http://www.smb.org/ .
Access the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, the official journal of SMB, at
http://www.springer.com/11538 .
Inquiries about membership or BMB fulfillment should be sent to
membership(at)smb(dot)org .
Issue's Topics:
Workshop: Chaos, Complexity & Dynamics.., May 28-June 3, France
Sumposium: Metabolomics & Clinical Chemistry, Nov.7?9, Switzerland
Symposium: Comp. Found. of Perception & Action, June 1-3, Rochester
Summer School: Math. Modeling of Infec..., May 17-27, U. of Alberta
IGTC fellowship for 2012-2013-Mathematical Biology, PIMS, Canada
PhD Position: Neuroinformatics & Comp. Neuroscience, U. of Edinburgh
PhD Position: Mathematical Biology, Auckland, NZ
PhD Position: Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, New South Wales
PostDoc: Computational Systems Biology, OIST, Japan
Fellowship in Statistical/Math./Computational Modeling, Oxford
Call for applications-Science 2020 / CoMPLEX Fellowships, UCL
SMBnet Reminders
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From: Bernard Cazelles <cazelles@biologie.ens.fr>
Date: Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 6:59 AM
Subject: Workshop: Chaos, Complexity & Dynamics.., May 28 - June 3, France
We are pleased to announce opening for registration for the ?CNRS
Thematic School?: CHAOS, COMPLEXITY and DYNAMICS in BIOLOGICAL
NETWORKS
Institut d?Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse - Corsica (France)
May 28 - June 3, 2012
http://ecologie.snv.jussieu.fr/chaosbionetwork
The main goal of this second International Workshop is to develop the
mutual interaction between specialists from biology, nonlinear
dynamics, physics and mathematics. More and more works show that
biological systems have non linear dynamics, so they may have also
chaotic behavior and strange attractors. In neural systems new
observations show that chaos appears both on the level of one neuron
and on the level of large networks. In population dynamics, chaos has
been observed in experimental cultures and seems to be important in
the diffusion of transmitted diseases in social networks. It becomes
obvious that there is a challenging demand for studying and modeling
complex dynamics of biological systems in order to describe various
modes and activities. In particular, there is a need to understand the
interplay between non linearity and stochasticity of biological
processes.
The workshop will gather specialists from several horizons lecturing
and discussing on the achievements and perspectives both fundamental
and applied, not excluding junior scientists and PhD students.
List of topics:
? Neurodynamics
? Population dynamics and Ecology
? Genetic networks
? Biological rhythmes
Registration can be carried out through the web page
http://ecologie.snv.jussieu.fr/chaosbionetwork/
Deadline for registration and submission of abstracts is April 15,
2012. The registration fees are 550 Euros. They include the
accommodation, lunches, coffee break, etc. Dinners and Sunday meals
are not included. An additional charge will be asked for an individual
room or for accompanied people. For CNRS researchers, fees, local and
travel expenses are fully covered (see your CNRS Delagation). Grants
might be available to cover fees and, eventually, part of travel
expenses. Application for support should be accompanied by a short
curriculum vitae, a summary of research activities or one
recommendation letter by a confirmed researcher. Final decision will
be made at April 15, 2012.
Registration form, grant application and all other information should
be sent by email to: chaosbionetwork -at- gmail.com
For any additional information contact the coordinating person:
Bernard Cazelles: cazelles -at- biologie.ens.fr
----------------------------------------------------
From: lcms-2012 <lcms-2012@science.leidenuniv.nl>
Date: Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 6:30 AM
Subject: Symposium Special highlights on Metabolomics and Clinical
Chemistry, November 7 ? 9, Switzerland
29th Montreux Symposium on LC/MS
Montreux, Switzerland
November 7 ? 9, 2012
www.lcms-montreux.com
The Montreux LC/MS 2012 conference:
Special highlights on Metabolomics and Clinical Chemistry
The field of LC/MS is continuously growing as is reflected by the
participation of over 30 nationalities and by scientific contributions
from a variety of research and development domains such as
pharmaceutical, biotechnological, food, environmental and research on
novel instrumentation and new LC/MS fields such as nanotechnology and
microfluidics, UPLC, low flow rate spray techniques, proteomics and
systems biology.
In collaboration with the Metabolomics Society, a special joint
parallel program for this rapidly emerging field is organized,
addressing the technology as well as novel systems-based biology
approaches in pharma, nutrition, clinical chemistry, plant sciences
and medical biology.
A parallel program is organized together with various Clinical
Chemistry societies focusing on current and future LC/MS options in
clinical diagnosis. Accreditation by related societies for the program
as well as the short course has been applied for.
A number of invited and keynote lectures will provide new insights and
a future outlook of key domains.
The ?Roland W. Frei? opening lecture will be delivered by Prof. Jan
Smeitink from the Centre for Systems Biology and Bioenergetics (CSBB)
of UMC St Radboud, Nijmegen University addressing ?Omics technologies
and Bioenergetics: application to human disease?.
As usual a large variety of poster and other oral contributions will
build a strong and interesting program that cannot be missed by anyone
working with LC/MS, Metabolomics and Clinical Chemistry. The
international Association of Environmental Analytical Chemistry will
be conferring the Roland W. Frei Award for the best poster
presentation by a young scientist. PLEASE NOTE: deadline for oral
presentation is June 15, 2012 and for poster presentations September
1, 2012.
The exhibition is the key to the conference and all major companies
involved in LC/MS will be present, while ample time is available in
the program for discussion and introduction to novel concepts and
instruments.
Prior to the conference November 5-6, 2012, a series of short courses
is organized. These introductory courses are focused on an
introduction and advanced LC-MS technology, Mass spectrometry LC/MS
interpretation and a special new course on ?Clinical Chemistry, LC/MS
and metabolomics?; accreditation of this course has been applied for.
Please find the latest information on the website of the symposium,
www.lcms-montreux.com
Jan van der Greef and Thomas Hankemeier Chairmen of the symposium
----------------------------------------------------
From: Debbie Shannon <debbie@cvs.rochester.edu>
Date: Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Subject: Symposium on Computational Foundations of Perception and
Action University of Rochester
Announcing the Center for Visual Science's 28th Symposium
Computational Foundations of Perception and Action
June 1-3, 2012
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York
Conference Website: Http://www.cvs.rochester.edu/symposium.html
Overview: The 28th Symposium of the Center for Visual Science will
bring computational, neurophysiological and psychophysical researchers
together who study the computational foundations of problems in
sensory and perceptual processing ranging from low-level sensory
coding to higher-level aspects of perception and action such as cue
integration, decision-making and sensorimotor control. Much of the
research discussed at the meeting focuses on the visual system;
however, included in the symposium will be speakers who study other
sensory and motor systems, and multisensory processing involving
vision and other modalities. The goal is to provide a forum for
investigating the common foundational computational principles that
underlay the many seemingly different functions of sensory systems (as
well as how they differ) and to discuss how to link computational
theories to underlying mechanisms to gain a deeper understanding of
perceptual behavior. With this in mind, we have invited speakers who
bring together computational and experimental approaches - whether
that be by developing computational theories of human / animal
performance, by conceptualizing and designing experimental studies to
test computational theories or both.
Confirmed Speakers:
Sensory coding
Sheila Nirenberg (Cornell University)
Mate Lengyel (University of Cambridge)
Adam Kohn - (Albert Einstein)
Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington)
Integration and prediction in perception
Dora Angelaki (Washington University)
Ladan Shams (UCLA)
Anne Churchland (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories)
Paul Schrater (University of Minnesota)
Sensorimotor control
Flip Sabes (UC-San Francisco)
Daniel Wolpert (University of Cambridge)
Joern Diedrichsen (University College London
Mark Churchland (Columbia University)
Decision-making and cognition
Ben Hayden (University of Rochester)
Antonio Rangel (Cal. Tech.)
Daeyeol Lee (Yale University)
Christopher Harvey (Princeton)
Memory and learning
Chris Sims (University of Rochester)
Josh Gold (University of Pennsylvania
Aaron Seitz (Univ. Cal. Riverside)
Jeff Beck (University College London)
Key Dates
oPoster abstract submission: Monday, April 2
oTravel fellowship application deadline: Monday, April 16
oNotification of poster abstract acceptance: Monday, April 9
oNotification of travel fellowship funding: Monday, April 30
oRegistration closes: Friday, May 4
Registration Fees
Graduate students and postdocs: $100
All others: $200
Program Committee
David Knill
Robert Jacobs
Alex Pouget
Greg DeAngelis
For queries about the meeting, contact Debbie Shannon at 585-275-2459
or Debbie@cvs.rochester.edu
----------------------------------------------
From: Michael Li <michaelyli@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, Feb 19, 2012 at 4:03 PM
Subject: Summer School on Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases
PIMS-MPrime-CDM Summer School on Mathematical Modeling of Infectious
Diseases May 17-27, 2012, University of Alberta, Edmonton Alberta,
Canada
We invite you to participate in the 2012 PIMS-MPrime-CDM Summer School
on Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases at the University of
Alberta. This is the continuation of summer school series organized
Centre on Disease Modeling (CDM) team (formerly known as the
NCE-MITACS team on Transmission Dynamics and Spatial Spread of
Infectious Diseases: Modelling, Prediction and Control).
The purpose of the summer school is to provide effective training for
collaborative research in infectious diseases based on mathematical
modeling and qualitative analysis. Our goal is two-fold: to educate
mathematically trained students how to address issues of great
importance in disease control and prevention, and to educate public
health students and researchers why and how mathematical modeling
tools are useful for public health research. It is our hope that the
summer school will prepare students who wish to work as modelers in a
public health environment, and to help public health people and
mathematical modelers to learn a language in which they can
communicate with one another.
The scientific program of the summer school consists of a variety of
formats including short courses, case studies, public lectures and
group projects. Financial assistance for graduate student
participants are available. To register online or find more
information, visit the summer school website
http://www.math.ualberta.ca/~irl/summer_school_2012.html
----------------------------------------------
From: Bella, Oriana <oriana@pims.math.ca>
Date: Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 1:05 PM
Subject: IGTC fellowship for 2012-2013-Mathematical
Biology
"The PIMS International Graduate Training Centre in Mathematical
Biology invites applicants for the IGTC fellowship for 2012-2013
academic year. Fellowships are worth up to $10K a year and are for
students working in mathematical biology at Pacific Institute for
Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) universities (Alberta, British Columbia,
Calgary, Regina, Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser and Victoria).
If you have excellent students, either potential students applying now
or current students, please encourage them to apply.
There are also opportunities for students to enroll in the
programme. All students can benefit from IGTC graduate training
elements including annual research summits, summer courses, new
term-time courses, seminars, graduate student exchanges, and
international visitors.
Full details of the IGTC Programme and application process can be
found here:
http://www.pims.math.ca/scientific/igtc/mathematical-biology. If you
have further questions, please contact the IGTC Programme
Administrator, Oriana Bella at orianab@pims.math.ca or Programme
Director Dan Coombs at coombs@math.ubc.ca.
Application deadline is February 29, 2012.
----------------------------------------------
From: James A. Bednar <jbednar@inf.ed.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 11:07 AM
Subject: PhD studentships in Neuroinformatics and Computational
Neuroscience
Second-round applications for 2012-2013 fully-funded PhD studentships
at the University of Edinburgh Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) in
Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience are now being
considered. The DTC is a world-class centre for research at the
interface between neuroscience and the engineering, computational, and
physical sciences.
Our four-year programme is ideal for students with strong
computational and analytical skills who want to employ cutting-edge
methodology to advance research in neuroscience and related fields, or
to apply ideas from neuroscience to computational problems. The first
year consists of courses in neuroscience and informatics, as well as
lab projects. This is followed by a three-year PhD project done in
collaboration with one of the many departments and institutes
affiliated with the DTC.
Current DTC PhD topics fall into five main areas:
* Computational neuroscience: Using analytical and computational
models, potentially supplemented with experiments, to gain
quantitative understanding of the nervous system. Many projects
focus on the development and function of sensory and motor systems
in animals, including neural coding, learning, and memory.
* Biomedical imaging algorithms and tools: Using advanced data
analysis techniques, such as machine learning and Bayesian
approaches, for imaging-based diagnosis and research.
* Cognitive science: Studying human cognitive processes and analysing
them in computational terms.
* Neuromorphic engineering: Using insights from neuroscience to help
build better hardware, such as neuromorphic VLSI circuits and robots
that perform robustly under natural conditions.
* Software systems and applications: Using discoveries from
neuroscience to develop software that can handle real-world data,
such as video, audio, or speech.
Other related areas of research are also encouraged. Edinburgh has a
large, world-class research community in these areas and leads the UK
in creating a coherent programme in neuroinformatics and computational
neuroscience. Edinburgh has often been voted 'best place to live in
Britain', and has many exciting cultural and student
activities. Students with a strong background in computer science,
mathematics, physics, or engineering are particularly encouraged to
apply. Highly motivated students with other backgrounds will also be
considered.
Three full studentships (including stipend of 14,215-17,326 UK
pounds/year) are still available to EU citizens who have been residing
in the UK for the past three years (whether for work or for
education); see the web site (below) for full details. Other
applicants can be accepted if they provide their own funding,
typically via a scholarship from their country of origin.Further
information and application forms can be obtained from:
http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/dtc
For full consideration for entry in September 2012, the deadline for
complete applications is March 31st, 2012.
----------------------------------------------
From: Eric Libby [nzelibby@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Eric Libby
[elibby@cnd.mcgill.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 8:28 PM
Subject: PhD position in Mathematical Biology, NZ
"A Marsden-funded PhD studentship is available in Paul Rainey's
Experimental Evolution lab at the New Zealand Institute for Advanced
Study (Auckland, NZ). This position provides an opportunity for an
outstanding individual to contribute toward a long-term research
program aimed at elucidating the principles of genetic evolution.
Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, the student will be
responsible for the development of models that describe genetic
evolution-- particularly the factors that affect the translation of
mutation into phenotypic variation. These models will take advantage
of a well-established and uniquely powerful experimental system to
explore the hypothesis that evolution proceeds via 'pathways of least
resistance', that is, via those pathways that have the greatest
capacity to translate mutation into phenotypic variation (see
McDonald et al 2009 Genetics). Informed by experimental insight, the
student will use bioinformatic and Bayesian approaches in conjunction
with dynamic equations to create general predictive models. The
successful candidate should have a strong background in
bioinformatics or mathematical biology and have an interest in
evolution and/or development.
This post is of three years duration and available immediately. Any
inquiries should be addressed to Eric Libby (e.libby@massey.ac.nz).
To apply for the post please send a letter of interest/statement of
purpose, CV, and the names of three referees to Vesna
Davidovic-Alexander
(v.davidovic-alexander@massey.ac.nz)
----------------------------------------------
From: Fabio Luciani <luciani@unsw.edu.au>
Date: Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 4:39 PM
Subject: PhD position in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology
The Evolutionary Dynamics in Infectious Diseases Group at the
University of New South Wales is looking for PhD students to work on
research projects in the area of bioinformatics / computational
biology that are aimed at studying viral evolution and the role of
host immune response.
The research we offer will be interdisciplinary projects between
bioinformatics / computational biology/ virology/ immunology and will
involve high- throughput data, such as next-generation
sequencing. Projects are suited to students with a strong background
in quantitative disciplines such as Bioinformatics, Computer Science,
Physics, Mathematics or similar. Acceptance is competitive, with a
first class honors degree (or equivalent) and a GPA of >87% required.
Successful applicants will join a team of researchers in the
Inflammation and Infection Research Centre, which hosts > 70 students
and researchers in various field of Medical Sciences. There is also a
great opportunity to interact with researchers involved in wet-lab
activities.
Please include a cover letter and CV that provide details about
research interests, education, employment history (if any), skills.
This research done in collaboration with experimental research groups
both in Australia and overseas. Additional information on the
Computational Biology Group?s research interests are available at:
http://medicalsciences.med.unsw.edu.au/SOMSWeb.nsf/page/Evolutionary+Dynamics+of+Infectious+Diseases
Post-graduate scholarships are available to support tuition and living
expenses for domestic (Australian Postgraduate Award APA) and overseas
PhD students to study in Australia. More information on the
postgraduate research scholarships is available at:
http://research.unsw.edu.au/postgraduate-research-scholarships
Deadline for applications in Semester 2 is 2 March 2012.
Interested applicants should contact Dr Fabio Luciani:
luciani@unsw.edu.au.
----------------------------------------------
From: Tatiana Marquez Lago <tatiana.marquez@oist.jp>
Date: Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 12:16 AM
Subject: Postdoctoral Position: Computational Systems Biology, Okinawa
Institute of Science and Technology
We are looking for an enthusiastic doctorate to work in
interdisciplinary projects aimed at (1) developing novel
stochastic/multiscaled simulation algorithms and, by combining
modelling and experimental techniques, (2) to reach a better
understanding of epigenetic changes, eukaryotic gene expression, and
effects of stochasticity in key cell signal transduction
processes. The ideal candidates should have a strong background in
Applied Mathematics, Control Engineering and/or Computer Science, as
well as a strong interest to collaborate with experimental
biologists. Previous experience with dynamical systems (ODEs, PDEs),
modelling, and Matlab programming is expected, while experience in
biological/chemical reaction modelling and stochastic simulation
(temporal and spatio-temporal) is a plus. Motivated postdocs may have
the opportunity to perform experiments in the wetlab, should they
desire to do so, while models will be calibrated closely with
experimental data.
Specific projects will entail constant feedback and cooperation with
experimental and theoretical groups both inside and outside
Japan. Thus, the postdoc is expected to travel and be able to work in
groups, have excellent personal and communication skills, and a
willingness to communicate research results to interdisciplinary
audiences. Knowledge of Japanese is not required (albeit language
courses will be provided to those interested), but English proficiency
is mandatory. Both recent doctorates and applicants with previous
postdoctoral experience will be considered, and the successful
candidate a will be offered a remuneration package according to
qualifications.
The successful candidates will join the Integrative Systems Biology
Unit of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate
University (OIST), and will work under the supervision of Assistant
Professor Tatiana T. Marquez-Lago. OIST is a university with no
departments, eliminating artificial barriers between people working in
different fields. Currently, 45 Faculty members and a growing
population of over 200 scientists, students, and research support
staff are located in OIST facilities in Uruma and Onna,
Okinawa. English is the language of instruction and a large segment of
the faculty and student population is international. Further details
about OIST can be found on our website (www.oist.jp)
To find out more, please visit:
http://www.oist.jp/careers/post-doctoral-position-available-computational-and-systems-biology
----------------------------------------------
From: Sheena Wells <sheena.wells@cs.ox.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Subject: Research Fellows (Two Posts)
Fellowship in Statistical/Mathematical/Computational Modelling
Fixed term contract for up to 2 years
The University of Oxford, University College London and Microsoft
Research Laboratory, Cambridge have received funding from the EPSRC
Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces Programme (C-DIP) for a programme of
research that will involve up to 17 post-doctoral fellowships over 5
years. At the heart of the programme is the development and
application of novel computational approaches, methods and tools to
address fundamental problems in natural science, and the scientific
computing, scientific software development and software engineering
that underpin the development of predictive models of complex,
multi-scale biological systems. We are looking for exceptional
candidates. You will be a highly motivated early-career researcher
with a documented track record of successful research projects, strong
quantitative modelling skills, computational proficiency, and an
understanding of and desire to do interdisciplinary research. You will
be expected to produce leading scientific research in the chosen area
of work, publish results in top scientific journals, and interact
closely with other members of the group and group collaborators. An
interest in statistics and model selection/validation or the
principles of biological computation is desirable, though applications
conforming to the scientific remit outlined in the further particulars
will be considered. Applicants should have a PhD in a relevant area of
science by 1 Oct. 2012. The post is available for up to 2 years and
has a salary on the University grade 07S scale (currently
£29,249-£35,938 p.a.).
For further details and to apply please visit:
https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=102140
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on 19 March 2012.
----------------------------------------------
From: Espie, Abi <a.espie@ucl.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 6:31 AM
Subject: UCL Research Fellowships
Science 2020 / CoMPLEX Fellowships ? Call for applications
Webiste: http://www.2020science.net/
CoMPLEX is currently advertising two fellowships to work with the 2020
Science research programme. 2020 Science is a collaborative research
programme based at the University of Oxford, University College
London, and Microsoft Research, Cambridge that will involve up to 17
fellows over 5 years.
The programme is focused on fostering the creation of a new generation
of interdisciplinary research leaders; scientists who are able to
apply and develop computational and mathematical modelling approaches
to advance our understanding of complex natural systems.
The suitable candidates will be highly motivated researchers with a
PhD in a relevant area of science, such as: mathematical or
computational biology, computer science or biology. Research
experience of mathematical or computational modelling of complex
natural systems is essential, as well as the ability to conduct and
complete research projects, as witnessed by published peer-reviewed
work.
The post duration will be 24 months.
The deadline for applications is noon on Friday 16th March
Or email: Abi Espie (a.espie@ucl.ac.uk),
Centre Administrator CoMPLEX, University College London
----------------------------------------------------
Subject: SMBnet Reminders
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The contents of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part with
attribution.
End of SMB Digest
****************************************************