Mathematics Colloquia and Seminars

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Description

Many biological systems in nature can be represented as a dynamic model on a network. Examples include gene regulatory systems, neuronal networks, ecological networks, infectious diseases spreading within a population described by a contact network, and many others. A fundamental question when studying a biological process represented as a dynamic model on a network is to what extent the network structure is contributing to the observed dynamics. I will give a brief introduction to network modeling in biology, highlighting some work that addresses this question. I will then focus on two recent projects. The first project investigates the spread of norovirus (stomach flu) within an age-structured population using a stochastic adaptive network model. The second project looks at mammalian sleep-wake regulation at different stages of development using an integrate-and-fire neuronal network model. If time allows, I will also briefly discuss a few related projects with current students.