Geometric Mechanisms of Temporal Variability and Precision in Transient Biological Dynamics Understanding transient temporal effects—when events occur and how variable their timing is—represents a central challenge across biological systems. While traditional analyses often focus on steady-state behaviors and average frequencies, the response variability and timing precision observed in real biological systems demand a deeper understanding …

Mechanistic Models as Hypotheses: Integrating Structure and Data from Sickle Cell Disease to Bacterial Infection Mechanistic models gain scientific value when treated as testable hypotheses rather than fixed descriptions of biology. I illustrate this idea through two modeling studies that differ sharply in how biology and data shape mechanistic structure. I begin with my work …

A Data-Driven Computational Framework for Identifiability and Nonlinear Dynamics Discovery in Complex Systems Data-driven modeling is essential for deciphering complex biological systems, yet its utility is often constrained by two fundamental hurdles: the inability to guarantee parameter identifiability and the high computational cost of learning nonlinear dynamics. This talk introduces a unified computational framework designed …

One equation helps solve three paradoxes in the spatial ecology of predators and prey In this talk I will introduce three paradoxes in the spatial ecology of predators and prey (1) Buffer Zone Paradox: Why do wolves maintain stable buffer zones for prey, even though they may be only saving prey for the neighboring packs? …

Integrated Mathematical Modeling of Cancer - Modeling the ecology and evolution of cancer and treatment resistance We present a suite of hybrid agent-based models (ABMs) that integrate discrete cell-level dynamics with continuous microenvironmental signaling to study eco-evolutionary processes in cancer. Our 2D on-lattice framework couples agent behaviors—proliferation, mutation, and selection—with reaction-diffusion equations governing cytokine fields …

Modeling GLP-1 Treatments in Ovulatory Dysfunction GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have gained widespread attention for their effectiveness in treating metabolic abnormalities such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Central to their success is the regulation of glucose-insulin metabolism and improvement of insulin resistance. In reproductive endocrinology, GLP-1 RAs have also shown promise as off-label …

Pertussis transmission models and demographic shifts under evolving vaccination programs Pertussis, a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract, was one of the main causes of child morbidity and mortality in developed countries, in the pre-vaccine era. Following the scale-up and roll-out of childhood vaccination programs in the 1940s–1960s, the incidence and severity of pertussis …