SMB Digest March 25, 2014 Volume 14 Issue 13
ISSN 1086-6566
Editor: Wandi Ding wding1(at)gmail(dot)com
Note:
Information about the Society for Mathematical Biology, including an
application for membership, may be found in the SMB Home Page,
Access the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, the official journal
Inquiries about membership or BMB fulfillment should be sent to
membership(at)smb(dot)org .
Issue's Topics:
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Vol. 76, Issue 3
Workshop on Biomath Days: U of Ottawa, May 1-2
Short Course on Obesity Research: U of Alabama, May 12-16
Workshop on Networks in Ecology: Sweden, May 19-23
Symposium on Complex Networks in Ecology: June 3, Berkeley, CA
NIH funding opportunities in Biological Big Data Science
Book: Computational PDEs in Biomedical Engineering
Postdoc Position: University of Bristol
PhD/Postdoc Positions: Centre de Recerca Matematica, Spain
6 PhD/Postdoc positions: U of Groningen, Netherlands
SMBnet Reminders
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, Mar 22, 2014 at 10:29 AM
Subject: Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Vol. 76, Issue 3
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Volume 76 Number 3 is
now available on SpringerLink
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 2:40 AM
Subject: Workshop on Biomath Days: U of Ottawa, May 1-2
This is to announce a two-day workshop at the University of Ottawa,
May 1-2. The workshop is called "Biomath Days" (following on from a
successful workshop of the same name we ran in 2008) and we
encourage students and postdocs in all areas of the biomathematical
sciences to register.
We are also looking for contributed talks. If you wish to give a
The fee is $50, to cover food. We have funding to cover at least
some of the accomodation.
Details and registration at:
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2014 at 2:06 PM
Subject: Short Course on Obesity Research: U of Alabama, May 12-16
We invite you to join us at our five day short course on
"The Mathematical Sciences in Obesity Research" at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham Mon 5/12/2014 - Fri 5/16/2014.
The mathematical sciences including engineering, statistics,
computer science, physics, econometrics, psychometrics,
epidemiology, and mathematics qua mathematics are increasingly
being applied to advance our understanding of the causes,
consequences, and alleviation of obesity. These applications
do not merely involve routine well-established approaches easily
implemented in widely available commercial software. Rather,
they increasingly involve computationally demanding tasks, use
and in some cases development of novel analytic methods and
software, new derivations, computer simulations, and unprecedented
interdigitation of two or more existing techniques. Such advances
at the interface of the mathematical sciences and obesity
research require bilateral training and exposure for investigators
in both disciplines. This course on the mathematical sciences
in obesity research features some of the world’s finest
scientists working in this domain to fill this unmet need
by providing nine topic driven modules designed to bridge the
disciplines.
For full details of the course, please refer to the attached
Limited travel scholarships are available to young investigators.
Please apply prior to Fri 3/28/2014. Accepted applicants will be
notified no later than Fri 4/04/2014. Women, members of
underrepresented minority groups and individuals with disabilities
are strongly encouraged to apply.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 2:42 AM
Subject: Workshop on Networks in Ecology: Sweden, May 19-23
Networks in Ecology is a week long interdisciplinary workshop
combining network science, dynamical systems and ecology. The
workshop takes place at the Marine research station in Norrbyn
40 km south of Umeå, northern Sweden, during the spring 2014.
The aim of the workshop is to discuss open problems in network
science and dynamical systems related to ecology. The first day
starts with a presentation of open problems suggested by the
participants. During the week participants will work in groups
and develop these open problems towards concrete research
questions and a research plan. Senior researchers will guide
and advise the groups. Invited speakers will give introductory
lectures on diverse topics on network science, dynamical systems
and ecology. Participants are encouraged to submit an abstract
for presenting their own research results in a poster or talk format.
Extended deadline: March 31.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 10:55 AM
Subject: Symposium on Complex Networks in Ecology: June 3, Berkeley, CA
NetSci 2014 Satellite entitled "Complex networks in Ecology",
to be held on June, 3 in Berkeley, California.
The aim of the symposium is to create a space for exchanging
state-of-the-art results and current developments of network
theory applied to ecological systems, and the implications in
terms of resilience and vulnerability that realistic population
dynamics may impose on those networked systems. Particular
attention will be devoted to recent developments in network
theory applied to ecological systems, such as multiplexed or
multilayered ecological networks, the temporal assembly and
evolution of food-webs or mutualistic networks, as well as to
the implications of those studies on new strategies for
assessing and improving ecosystem recovery after different
kinds of perturbations.
Invited speakers:
-Daniel B. Stouffer, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
-Eric L. Berlow, USG,Yosemite Field Station, PeAcE Lab and
Vibrant Data Lab, USA
-Serguei Saavedra, Biological Center of Doñana, Spanish Council
for Scientific Research, Spain
-David Alonso, Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes, Spanish
Council for Scientific Research, Spain
The program will include contributed talks selected from
abstract submission. The deadline for abstract submission
is April 20, 2014. Notification of acceptance will be on May, 1.
Organizers:
Jose A. Capitan, Center for Astrobiology, Spanish Council for
Scientific Research, Spain
Javier Galeano, Technical University of Madrid, Spain
Jose J. Ramasco, Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and
Complex Systems, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Spain
----------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 10:17 AM
Subject: NIH funding opportunities in Biological Big Data Science
recently announced the release of an RFA for software and methods
development in biomedical Big Data Science:
Development of Software and Analysis Methods for Biomedical Big
Data in Targeted Areas of High Need (U01) (RFA-HG-14-020)
This opportunity targets four topic areas of high need for
researchers working with biomedical Big Data,
1. Data Compression/Reduction
2. Data Provenance
3. Data Visualization
4. Data Wrangling
The receipt deadline for applications is June 19, 2014, with an
optional letter of intent due May 19, 2014.
BD2K is a new major trans-NIH initiative that aims to support
advances in data science, other quantitative sciences, policy,
and training that are needed for the effective use of Big Data
in biomedical research. Interested applicants are encouraged to
join the listserv (on the BD2K homepage) to receive the most
up-to-date information about BD2K events and funding opportunities.
Please share this opportunity with your interested colleagues.
If you have questions, please contact David Miller at
----------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, Mar 21, 2014 at 4:18 PM
Subject: Book: Computational PDEs in Biomedical Engineering
Announcement of a recent book on computational partial differential
equation analysis in biomedical engineering. The following list of
chapter titles gives an indication of the combination of applied
numerical analysis and mathematical modeling of physiological systems:
1: Introduction to Partial Differential Equation Integration in
Space and Time
2: Antibody Binding Kinetics
3: Acid-mediated Tumor Growth
4: Retinal Oxygen Transport
5: Hemodialyzer Dynamics
6: Epidermal Wound Healing
7: Drug Distribution from a Polymer Matrix
A link for the Matlab routines is available and William Schiesser
will be pleased to respond to any questions you may have.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, Mar 17, 2014 at 10:48 AM
Subject: Postdoc Position: University of Bristol
POSTDOCTORAL POSITION
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
CLOSING DATE: 9 APRIL 2014
An opportunity has arisen for a Research Associate to work within
the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of
Bristol. This post offers an excellent opportunity for a Research
Associate to join a research team based in the School of Social
and Community Medicine. The post is for 24 months funded partly
through grants from the European Commission and UK Department of
Health, and is meant also to provide an opportunity to apply for
additional funding and/or a personal development research fellowship
award. The post will adapt existing infectious disease models
on the transmission of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and use these
models to project the impact of HCV treatment and other
interventions on HCV prevalence and transmission, and consider
how scale up of HCV treatment could reduce HCV prevalence and
liver morbidity in selected European sites.
You will join a collaborative team of mathematical modelers,
epidemiologists, social scientists and health economists
interested in the transmission dynamics of HCV, HIV/AIDS, other
sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other infections.
As part of these projects you will be primarily involved in the
technical aspect of the modelling, and will collaborate with other
modellers, economists and epidemiologists involved in this and
other projects.
You will need a strong mathematical background with preferably
a PhD degree in a relevant quantitative subject. We are looking
for an applicant with experience in mathematical modeling,
hopefully in the field of infectious diseases You must have
experience of developing and programming complex dynamical models
and the ability to design and analyse large scale modelling
experiments involving data and uncertainty. You will have strong
IT and communication skills and work effectively within a team
environment that includes non-mathematicians. It is desirable
that you will have an interest in the health issues of others.
The post is full-time and available for two years and may be
extended if applications for further research funding are
successful. Details can be found here:
Informal enquiries by email may be made to:
------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2014 at 10:46 AM
Subject: PhD/Postdoc Positions: Centre de Recerca Matematica, Spain
PhD and Postdoc positions in Collaborative Mathematics at CRM
The Centre de Recerca Matematica (Barcelona, Spain) offers PhD
and postdoc positions within the Collaborative Mathematics
Programme funded by Obra Social La Caixa. Suitable candidates
at either level will work in interdisciplinary projects
co-supervised by CRM researchers and specialists in the area
corresponding to each of the projects. Projects are available
in the following general areas:
- Complex Systems (Contact person: Alvaro Corral).
- Computational and Mathematical Biology. (Contact person:
Tomas Alarcon)
- Computational Neuroscience. (Contact person: Alex Roxin)
- Financial Mathematics and Risk Control. (Contact person:
Luis Ortiz)
- Industrial Mathematics. (Contact person: Tim Myers)
- Mathematical Epidemiology. (Contact person: Andrei Korobeinikov)
PhD candidates are expected to have an MSc in mathematics, physics
or an area relevant to the subject of the project. Only candidates
with outstanding academic records will be considered. Candidates
for the postdoc positions are expected to have a recent PhD in
mathematics, physics or other related areas as well as an
outstanding research track record.
The deadline for submitting an application is April 16 2014.
For more details regarding available projects, conditions of
the appointments and application procedure, please go to:
------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, Mar 20, 2014 at 4:43 AM
Subject: 6 PhD/Postdoc positions: U of Groningen, Netherlands
6 PhD/postdoc positions available on eco-evolutionary assembly of
ecological communities.
At the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies of the
University of Groningen in the Netherlands, there are 6 vacancies
for PhD students and/or postdocs, as part of the research program
"On the origin of species assemblages" which is funded by a VICI
grant awarded to Prof. Rampal S. Etienne.
CONTENT
This program aims to develop a fully stochastic, dynamical,
eco-evolutionary and data-friendly theory of community assembly, and
testing and informing this theory with model-oriented experiments
and field studies of both macro-organisms and micro-organisms. The
theory will contain models of speciation, extinction, immigration,
and evolutionary change that vary in spatial, phylogenetic and biotic
complexity, and will be designed for confrontation with data. The
models include but are not limited to birth-death models, individual-
based simulation models, and models of adaptive dynamics. New
modelling directions are encouraged.
The evolutionary experiments will involve the mite Tetranychus urticae
(in collaboration with Dries Bonte at the University of Ghent, Belgium)
and the bacterium Escherichia coli (in collaboration with Joana Falcao
Salles at the University of Groningen) which are ideal model organisms
due to their short generation times. The experiments will provide
insight into how diversity affects diversification, a great unknown in
current macro-evolutionary theory.
The theory will be applied to naturally occurring microlandsnails in
South-East Asia (in collaboration with Menno Schilthuizen at Naturalis
Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands), and micro-organisms in
geothermal pools in New Zealand (in collaboration with Gavin Lear at
the University of Auckland, New Zealand).
As a general outline, for the theoretical part, both potential PhD
students and postdocs can apply. The mite and microsnail projects will
each require a PhD student, the E. coli and geothermal pool projects
together will require a postdoc. However, candidates who are willing
and able to handle a combination of theoretical and empirical work
are particularly encouraged to apply.
PROFILE OF CANDIDATE
The candidates should
- hold an MSc degree in ecology or evolutionary biology, or an MSc
degree in mathematics or physics with experience/interest in
applications to biology
- be willing to work in a multidisciplinary team
- have good communication skills in English (speaking and writing)
INFORMATION AND APPLICATION
More information can be requested from Prof. Rampal Etienne
and should contain:
- Motivation letter (max. one page)
- Up-to-date CV
- List of study grades
- Names of two references
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications will be
considered until the positions are filled.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: SMBnet Reminders
To subscribe to the SMB Digest please point your browser at
and complete the subscription information. Alternatively, if you prefer
to simply receive notice when the next issue is available, send mail to
in the body of the mail (omit the quotes and include your name).
After you subscribe, you will receive a greeting with additional information.
Submissions to appear in the SMB Digest may be sent to
SMBnet(at)smb(dot)org .
Items of interest to the mathematical biology community may be submitted
for inclusion in the SMBnet archive. See instructions at
The SMB Digest is also available on the SMB Home Page at
The contents of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part with
attribution.
End of SMB Digest
****************************************************