NWO Special Year on Mathematical Biology

Coordinators: L. Stougie (Eindhoven) and S.M. Verduyn Lunel (Leiden)

The section Mathematics of NWO-Exact organises in 2001 a series of seminars and a winter school on mathematical biology. The motivation for this initiative comes from the need to investigate the possibilities for mathematics to participate in new research programs in the field of biological sciences (like the NOW Bio-Molecular Informatics Program). The central organisation of the special year consists of Leen Stougie and Sjoer Verduyn Lunel. In coordination with local organisers 9 days will be organised on location. Subjects have been selected that are of interst both to mathematics and to biological sciences. The aim is to provide mathematicians an overview of the problems encountered by biologists, biochemists, and researchers in medical sciences on the one hand, and to stimulate contacts between the two research groups on the other hand. The special year will be concluded with a "winterschool" for advanced master students and PhD-students.

PROGRAM

15-17 January 2001: Computational Molecular Biology ,  EURANDOM, Eindhoven.
Local Organisers: Mathisca de Gunst en Willem van Zwet
21 February 2001: Biofarmacy  , TNO-Pharma, Zeist.
Local Organisers: Jan van der Greef en Sjoerd Verduyn Lunel
23 March 2001: Bio Informatics Pattern Analysis ,  Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Amsterdam.
Local Organisers: Monique Laurent, Lex schrijver en Leen Stougie
27 April 2001: Computational Neuroscience , Nederlands Instituut voor Hersenonderzoek, Amsterdam.
Local Organisers: Jaap van Pelt en Arjen van Ooyen
20 Juni 2001: Quantitative methods for life and earth , Wageningen Universiteit
Lokale Organisator: Ritsert Jansen
3 October 2001: Signals in sequences , Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Nijmegen.
Local Organiser: Gert Vriend
6 November 2001: Vision: An Inspiration for Science , Image Sciences Institute, Utrecht.
Local Organisers: Bart ter Haar Romeny and Luc M.J. Florack
9 November 2001: Modeling, identification, and control in biology and medicine , Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Amsterdam.
Local Organisers: Jan H. van Schuppen and Lieke Schultze
30 November 2001: From chemistry to life , Dutch Polymer Institute, Eindhoven.
Local Organisers: Rint P. Sijbesma en Leen Stougie
17-19 December 2001: Winterschool Mathematics and Biology , De Wageningse Berg, Wageningen
Local Organisers: Mathisca de Gunst, Ritsert Jansen, Leen Stougie, Sjoerd Verduyn Lunel

MOTIVATION

The motivation for organising such a special years is given by the fact that biological sciences have seen an overwhelming development since the unravelling of the genetic code. Both on molecular and on cellular level enormous knowledge has been acquired with important applications in biomedical and agricultural sciences. Knowledge about individual behaviour of enzymes, cells and organisms is just a first step in understanding the laws that govern the complex collective behaviour of populations of such individuals. On the macroscopic level processes in living systems are still poorly understood. To reach for deep insights a multi-disciplinary effort will be required from mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry and biology. The time seems to ask for initialising such an effort from out mathematics.

On almost all universities in the Netherlands interdisciplinary research with life sciences is started. This holds as well for the research institutes CWI (Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science) in Amsterdam and EURANDOM in Eindhoven. In recent years the NOW-program on Non-Linear Systems has had a major impact on collaboration of mathematicians, physicists and life scientists. Within this program important results have been achieved, mainly in the field of population dynamics, a research area within ecology.

It is crucial that these successful multi disciplinary initiatives will be continued, covering a much wider spectrum of life sciences, and that mathematical research attempts to relate to the Bio-informatics initiative of NOW. It is clearly very important that the mathematical research groups pay major attention to all these new possibilities for applied research, and it is evident that close contacts with biologists and biochemists will be indispensable. In that sense there are enough opportunities. The Dutch research groups in the field of biology and biochemistry have an excellent international reputation.

For the organisation of the Special Year we have chosen for ori entation on the wide spectrum of mathematics (and computer science) on the one hand and on a comparably wide spectrum of life sciences on the other hand. Without doubt, a successful start will generate returns in the form of Interesting and relevant mathematical problems, interesting publications, a name on the map of a new research area, financial support through research projects and last but not least hopefully an attraction of the field for future students.

LINKS AND FURTHER INFORMATION

The extended version of the proposal can be loaded as pdf-file

For more information you can contact l.stougie@tue.nl or verduyn@math.leidenuniv.nl.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

The Bioscience Initiative in Leiden

Last modified: Wednesday, 22-August-2001