Big Question: Robustness, Heterogeneity and Adaptation

Principal Investigator: Marsha Rosner, Cancer Research; John Reinitz, Statistics

Funding Type: Workshop

Focus Area: Complexity

Big Idea: Our initial workshop will focused on central questions of biological complexity: robustness, heterogeneity and adaptation. These processes are interrelated but difficult to understand without mathematical interpretation. However, there is little communication between forefront mathematicians who need to understand key biological issues, and biologists who don't understand what mathematics can contribute. The aim of the workshop is to bring together biologists and mathematicians from the University of Chicago as well as other institutions around the world who are interested in addressing fundamental biological problems. The ultimate goal is to identify significant problems and catalyze productive collaborations that will form the core of a new initiative based at the University of Chicago to mathematically address key aspects of biological complexity.