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The principal goal of the Mathematical Biology Group is to use
mathematical and computational methods to better understand
biological systems. This understanding provides insights that may
contribute to medical knowledge, practice, and technology. The research
and educational activities of the Group are supported by grants from the
National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
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Graduate EducationFaculty of the Group are actively engaged in training graduate students in mathematical biology and placing them in academic and non-academic positions. Such students fulfill the normal requirements of the Department of Mathematics and receive the Ph.D. in mathematics. Current graduate students working in mathematical biology include Shu Dai, Lauren Shareshian, and Rachel Thomas.
General information about Duke University graduate programs can be
found at
The Graduate School;
information about the graduate program in mathematics can be found at
The Graduate Program
in Mathematics.
Prospective graduate students in mathematical biology
are invited to send inquiries to
reed@math.duke.edu
for more detailed information. Training in interdisciplinary research
includes readings, tutorials,
seminars,
and courses devoted to specific topics.
The Department of Mathematics regularly offers two undergraduate courses that are devoted to the applications of mathematics to biology and medicine. In the First-year Seminar course Mathematics 49S, students use introductory calculus to better understand human physiological systems, e.g., the heart and vasculature, the lungs, the kidneys, the nervous system, the immune system, and endocrine regulation of reproductive system. Mathematics 196S, a Seminar in Mathematical Modeling for juniors and seniors, is frequently taught as ``Mathematical Modeling in Physiology and Medicine.'' In this seminar students more advanced mathematics to study epidemiology, population biology, and animal and human physiology. Mathematical techniques applicable to biology are taught in many undergraduate courses, including Linear Algebra (Math 104), Ordinary Differential Equations (Math 131), Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equations (Math 132), Partial Differential Equations (Math 133), Probability (Math 135), Statistics (Math 136), Advanced Calculus (Math 139), Numerical Analysis (Math 160), and Applied Stochastic Processes (Math 216). The Duke EnvironmentThe Department of Mathematics is an excellent place to study mathematical biology. In addition to Professors Harold Layton and Michael Reed, who specialize in biology, the Mathematics Department has a number of senior faculty who make contributions to mathematical biology (including Professors Herbert Edelsbrunner [primary appointment, Computer Science], John Harer, Anita Layton, Mauro Maggioni, Jonathan Mattingly, David Schaeffer, and John Trangenstein) or who work in applied mathematics, partial differential equations, ordinary differential equations, or scientific computing (including Professors William Allard, Thomas Beale, Robert Bryant, Stephanos Venakides, Thomas Witelski, and Xin Zhou).Duke's excellent Department of Biology as many faculty members with mathematics training who welcome collaborations with mathematicians. The School of Engineering houses an active Department of Biomedical Engineering and the NSF Center for Emerging Cardiovascular Technologies. The biological sciences departments and the School of Engineering are housed in buildings adjacent to the Mathematics Department. Duke University Medical Center, which has over 700 faculty members, is a five-minute walk from the Department of Mathematics. The Medical Center's basic science departments-- Cell Biology, Neurobiology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Genetics & Microbiology, and Pathology-- have excellent reputations and produce large numbers of Ph.D.'s. Duke has a long tradition of interdisciplinary research and many Medical Center research groups are very interested in collaborations with mathematicians. |
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