Prerequisites
Basic knowledge about linear algebra (e.g. determinant and trace of matrices, eigenvalues), analysis, ODEs (steady states and their stability, bifurcations) and PDEs (e.g. separation of variables), and stochastic processes. (The key point, however, is the attitude: students should be willing to quickly fill in gaps in background knowledge.)
Aim of the course
In the course, a lot of attention is paid to "translation": how do we get from biological information to a mathematical formulation of questions? And what do the mathematical results tell us about biological phenomena? In addition, the course aims to introduce general physical ideas about time scales and spatial scales and how these can be used to great advantage when performing a mathematical analysis. At the end of the course the student is capable of reading a scientific paper on a topic in Mathematical Biology in depth and can summarize and discuss the contents and impact of the paper in a scientific presentation.
Lecturers
Sander Hille (shille@math.leidenuniv.nl)
Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics, Leiden University
Bob Planqué (r.planque@vu.nl)
Associate Professor at the Mathematics Department, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Docent: Sander Hille
- Docent: Bob Planqué