Mathematical Systems Biology Minor

Holm (Chair of the Department of Biology)
Robertson (Chair of the Department of Mathematics)

Mathematical systems biology describes a field of inquiry in which mathematical and computational methods are used to examine complex, large-scale interactions between components of biological systems and to predict how these interactions influence the properties of those systems. The systems examined may range in scale from molecular through cellular and tissue levels to the scale of organisms and entire ecosystems. The unifying feature of this field is quantitative description of interactions between components of biological systems.

The interface between mathematics and biology is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of research in the sciences. The technological development of methods for generating large amounts of biological data — including genome sequence information, total protein analysis, metabolic information, etc. — demands the development of mathematical and computational methods for analyzing these data and for developing predictive models that use such large data sets. The multidisciplinary field of systems biology requires an understanding of both mathematical and biological concepts, insights into interesting questions in biology, and comprehension of the mathematical methods that can be used to address many of those questions. The mathematical systems biology minor provides students with the coursework in mathematics and biology required to begin to gain insights and experience in this important new field.