News

• Focused Research Group Awards
• New Research Demonstrates Universal Rhythm in Nature
• Modularity of Biological Systems Workshop Recordings
• NITMB Affiliate Member Alexandria Volkening Wins Outstanding Paper Prize
• Ning Wei Affiliate Member Bio



Upcoming Events

• NITMB Seminar Series
• Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights | May 11 - 15, 2026
• Extreme Events in Biological Functions | June 1 - 5, 2026 | Local Applications Still Being Accepted
• Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation: Mathematical Foundations | June 15 - 18, 2026 | Local Applications Still Being Accepted
• NITMB MathBio Ideathon | August 10 - 12, 2026 | Applications Open
• NITMB Scientific Focus: Theory and Mathematics in Neuroscience | October 5 - November 15, 2026 | Applications Open
• Image-Based Scientific Machine Learning for for Theories of Biological Dynamics Across Scales | February 1 - March 12, 2027 | Applications Open

Opportunities

• Workshop Proposals
• Visitor Program
• Long Program Proposals

Nature might have a universal rhythm

From insects to birds to mammals, new research from NITMB community members Guy Amichay and Daniel Abrams demonstrates that communication signals follow a common tempo. In the study, Amichay and Abrams found that communication signals across a wide range of species tend to repeat at about 2 hertz, or roughly two beats per second. The researchers propose that this tempo might reflect a shared biological constraint.

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Are you part of a research team that works on a project at intersections of mathematical and biological fields?

Consider applying for an NITMB Focused Research Group Award!

• Supports the in-person gathering of small teams (e.g., 3-6 people) for independent research
• Provides office space and meeting rooms at NITMB in downtown Chicago
• Covers non-local travel, lodging, and meals for stays up to 9 days. Teams may apply to return to continue their collaborations.
• Open to researchers in pure and applied mathematics, basic biological sciences, and related fields

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Research by NITMB Affiliate Member Alexandria Volkening awarded Outstanding Paper Prize for 2025 by The Company of Biologists

Research co-authored by NITMB Affiliate Member Alexandria Volkening (assistant professor of mathematics and (by courtesty) biomedical engineering at Purdue University) was recently awarded the Outstanding Paper Prize for 2025 by The Company of Biologists. Over 200 papers published in Development were eligible for the Outstanding Paper Prize. Congratulations to Professor Volkening and colleagues!

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Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches to study physiological and pathological processes

Meet Ning wei, assistant professor of mathematics at Purdue University!

Meet Ning Wei

If you'd like to be featured in a future newsletter, please contact NITMB's Digital Media Specialist, Ben Stemen (stemenb@uchicago.edu)

Upcoming NITMB Seminars

Join us at NITMB or online for the next entries in the NITMB Seminar Series!

May 8th: Charles L. Epstein, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute

May 22nd: Yi Gu, Investigator, Spatial Navigation and Memory Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

May 22nd*: Ehud Meron, Professor Emeritus, Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

*Please note this seminar will take place from 11:20am - 12:20pm

The NITMB Seminar Series brings together a mix of mathematicians and biologist to foster discussion and collaboration between the two fields. Seminars take place on Fridays from 10am - 11am at the NITMB in the John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago.

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Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights

May 11 - 15, 2026

Join us for an exploration of how evolutionary game theory (EGT) helps us understand competition, cooperation, and behavior across biological, social, and artificial systems!

This workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary community of EGT researchers to chart new directions for theory and applications. A primary aim of the workshop is to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration and expand the methodological scope of EGT to frequency-dependent problems across scales.

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Local Applications Still Being Accepted:

Extreme Events in Biological Function

June 1 - 5, 2026

Explore how rare and extreme events can be harnessed as constructive elements in biological systems!

This workshop will bring together experts in applied stochastic processes and biological dynamics to explore the critical yet underdeveloped role of extreme and rare events in enabling reliable biological function. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the workshop aims to advance both theory and application in understanding how biological systems capitalize on rare events for robust function.

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Applications Open:

NITMB MathBio Ideathon

August 10 - 12, 2026

Engage in focused discussion and create collaborative research projects at the interface between biology and mathematics, theory, and computation!

Participants will contribute their vision concerning unsolved problems in their respective fields, organize into teams to address the most promising collaborative approaches, and summarize research plans they think are most likely to be successful.

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Applications Open:

NITMB Scientific Focus: Theory and Mathematics in Neuroscience

October 5 - November 15, 2026

Join us for a six-week long program comprising a junior scientist workshop, a trio of focused conferences, and a collection of collaborative projects at NITMB!

Together, these coordinated events are intended to bring emerging and established investigators into sustained conversation around three branches of mathematics that increasingly shape modern neuroscience: dynamics, geometry, and probability.

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Applications Open:

Image-Based Scientific Machine Learning for Theories of Biological Dynamics Across Scales

February 1 - March 12, 2027

Accelerate the development of image-based scientific machine learning for biological dynamics!

Such approaches will enable "learning the laws" of biology directly from experimental images and movies, yielding new insight into how complex forms and behaviors emerge and evolve from the scales of sub-cellular structures to whole organs. We aim to (rapidly) bring together physicists, computer scientists, mathematicians and biologists to build on the current momentum in this evolving field.

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We invite researchers to propose a Scientific Workshop to be hosted in downtown Chicago at NITMB.

Workshops at NITMB:

• Tackle timely and pivotal research questions at the intersection of mathematics and biology
• Receive full administrative and financial support from NITMB, including lodging, travel, and local support for all non-local participants
• Generally, convene for 2 to 5 days and host 20-75 participants
• Include discussions, brainstorming, and small group launches of new research projects

Propose a Workshop

Are you faculty, research faculty, technical staff, a postdoctoral scholar, or an enrolled PhD candidate engaged in research in biological or mathematical fields?

Consider the Visitor Program of the NITMB, which provides:

• Opportunities for researchers outside the host institutions of Northwestern University and the University of Chicago to engage deeply with NITMB
• Funding for non-local researchers to come from their home institutions to NITMB in downtown Chicago
• Full access to NITMB’s science programs and facilities

Apply Now

Consider proposing a long program to be hosted in downtown Chicago by the NITMB!

Long Programs at NITMB:

• Consist of 4-10 weeks of concentrated activity in a specific area of current research interest at the intersections of biological and mathematical fields
• Receive full administrative and financial support of NITMB, including lodging, travel, and local support for all non-local participants
• Include multiple 2-5 day workshops, each hosting 25-75 participants
• Offer an opportunity to be in residence at NITMB to conduct research, collaborate with NITMB faculty and fellows, train students, and engage with affiliated visitors

Propose a Long Program