Mark your calendars: The NITMB MathBio Convergence Conference will be held 11-14 August 2025 in Chicago, Illinois

The NITMB MathBio Convergence Conference will be an international forum for the presentation and discussion of research at the frontier between biology and mathematics. The Conference is sponsored and hosted by a new national institute charged with enhancing greater integration between these disciplines, the NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB). Located in downtown Chicago, the NITMB was founded in 2023 by the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation and is a working partnership between Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.  More information about the NITMB can be found at https://www.nitmb.org.

The conference will be a forum to discuss challenging problems in biology that are inspiring new mathematics, statistics, theory and computation and to explore mathematics that is generating important new insights into biology. A half-dozen plenary talks from distinguished international speakers are scheduled at which theory and experiment will be discussed. There will also be 20 speaking slots selected from open abstract applications, and two poster sessions.  Priority for the speaking slots will be given to early career researchers, and there will be ample time for discussion, professional networking and career development activities.

Those who work at or who are interested in the math-bio interface are strongly encouraged to apply and attend.   Presentations from all relevant areas of mathematics and biology are welcome.

Confirmed plenary speakers:

Alexander Auhlela, The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
    Dr. Aulehla uses dynamical systems to study how a vertebrate embryo forms the unique number of body segments that make up the vertebrae.

Carina Curto, Brown University
    Dr. Curto combines mathematical tools from algebra, geometry, topology and dynamical systems to elucidate complex patterns of activity in networks of neurons.

Lorin Crawford, Microsoft Research and Brown University
    Dr. Crawford uses machine learning and statistical tools to study the genotype-to-phenotype map for complex traits and diseases.

Michael Hawrylycz, The Allen Institute
    Dr. Hawrylycz studies the cellular constitution and organization of the brain using single-cell transcriptomics and cutting-edge computational and statistical tools.

Anna-Liisa Laine, University of Helsinki
    Dr. Laine studies complex problems in ecology across a spectrum of length and time scales.

Reidun Twarock, University of York
    Dr. Twarock uses mathematics to study the symmetries of animal viruses and how they self-assemble inside host cells.   


Conference location: the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology, 875 N. Michigan Avenue, 35th floor, Chicago, Illinois.
A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at The Drake, 140 E. Walton Place, Chicago, Illinois. 

Information about deadlines for registration and abstract applications for a contributed talk or poster will be provided in early 2025.

We are proud to be able to offer conference support for those needing financial assistance to attend the conference.

Please watch for more information online at https://www.nitmb.org/nitmb-mathbio-convergence-conference or by contacting nitmb@nitmb.org

The NITMB MathBio Convergence Conference Organizing Committee:
Sharon Crook, Arizona State University
Adriana Dawes, The Ohio State University
Bard Ermentrout, University of Pittsburgh
William Kath, Northwestern University
Ilaria Rebay, University of Chicago
Michael Rust, University of Chicago