An introduction to modeling deterministic and random events in biology. Topics include population dynamics, disease dynamics, biostatistics, evolutionary theory, game theory, and special topics. Computational work will be done in Excel.
Advanced modeling and analysis of ecological systems. Techniques will be developed in the context of applications. Theoretical concepts to be covered include mean field analysis, spatial models, delay equations, adaptive dynamics, game theory, metapopulation models, scaling theory.
Quantitative systems biology, with an emphasis on building models of how cells produce and regulate proteins: from gene regulation to complex networks to examples of chemotaxis, kinetic proofreading, and collective behaviors. The textbook, An Introduction to Systems Biology, is accessible to math, science, and engineering, majors. The aim will be to develop quantitative toolkits to analyze the complex mechanisms behind the regulation, design, and operation of biological circuits. Computer programming will be done in Matlab, though no prior experience with Matlab is necessary for the course.
