About

The Melbourne Mathematical Biology (MMB) Group is a part of the School of Mathematics and Statistics at The University of Melbourne. Our group is passionate about using advanced mathematical, statistical and computational methods to model and analyse complex biological systems across seven themes. We support several event series, including the Melbourne Mathematical Biology seminar series. In 2021, we are hosting the Special Emphasis Year on “Biological Dynamics: Mathematics of Cellular Systems to Epidemics” which is supporting events such as the Mathematical Biology Special Interest Group Annual Meeting.

These systems span across many scales, including micro scale, where we can determine how individual bacteria sense their local environment to search for nutrients:

To the continental scale, where we can observe how antimalarial drug resistance is predicted to spread throughout populations:

Staff

Students

Visitors & Affiliated Students

Special Emphasis Year supported events

Biological Dynamics: Mathematics of Cellular Systems to Epidemics

The School of Mathematics and Statistics 2021 Special Emphasis Year will be on “Biological Dynamics: Mathematics of Cellular Systems to Epidemics”. We will be constructing a program to build on and promote the internationally recognised expertise within the school in the multi-disciplinary field of Biological Dynamics.

The Special Emphasis Year will be led by A/Prof Jennifer Flegg and Dr Douglas Brumley, with core members Prof James McCaw, Prof Edmund Crampin, Prof Michael Stumpf, Prof Barry Hughes and Dr James Osborne.

The University’s Computational Biology Hallmark Research Initiative (CBRI) was established in 2014, and fostered a growing campus-wide community using mathematical, statistical and computational techniques to study biological systems.

A key outcome of the CBRI has been the identification and consolidation of two major areas of research strength across the University: ‘Statistical Genomics’ and ‘Biological Dynamics’ (the latter being research into biological systems in which the study of dynamics is the central unifying feature).

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the attention of the world the role that mathematical modelling can play in providing essential mechanistic understanding of biological systems. Prof James McCaw has been leading the mathematical modelling work that has helped guide the Australian response to the pandemic.

The mathematics behind modelling disease outbreaks will be a key theme of the Special Emphasis Year. The team will also be highlighting and building on other aspects of their research in areas including systems biology, multicellular biology, tissue dynamics, within-host dynamics and biological fluid dynamics.