News

• Focused Research Group Awards
• Orkun Soyer Video Feature
• Curiosity-Driven Dialogue and Collaboration Between Experiment and Theory Workshop Recordings
• Gökçe Dayanıklı Affiliate Member Bio



Upcoming Events

• NITMB Seminar Series
• Modularity of Biological Systems | April 13 - 17, 2026 | Local Applications Still Being Accepted
• Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights | May 11 - 15, 2026 | Applications open
• Extreme Events in Biological Functions | June 1 - 5, 2026 | Applications open

Opportunities

• Workshop Proposals
• Visitor Program
• Long Program Proposals

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

Learn More

Watch: Orkun Soyer on exploring the energetics of microbial systems across space and time at NITMB

Hear from recent NITMB workshop organizer, Orkun Soyer, on his work exploring the energetics of microbial systems, and what makes NITMB the best place to build the future of this research area.

Orkun Soyer is a Professor of Evolutionary Systems and Synthetic Biology at the University of Warwick. At NITMB, Orkun Soyer was an organizer of the 'Microbial Communities: Energetics and Dynamics Across Space and Time' workshop in October of 2025.

Watch Now

Curiosity-Driven Dialogue and Collaboration Between Experiment and Theory workshop recordings available now!

New recordings of tutorials from the 'Curiosity-Driven Dialogue and Collaboration Between Experiment and Theory' workshop are now available on the NITMB website and YouTube channel!

Watch Now

Quantifying how individual behavior shapes collective outcomes: A conversation with Gökçe Dayanıklı 

Meet Gökçe Dayanıklı, assistant professor of Statistics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign!

Meet Gökçe Dayanıklı

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 virtually or in-person at NITMB for the next entries in the NITMB Seminar Series!

March 6th: Venkatesh Gopal, Professor and Chair, Physics, Elmhurst University

March 13th: Antonio Costa, CRCN INSERM Principal Investigator, Paris Brain Institute

April 10th: Andreas Buttenschön, Assistant Professor, Applied Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

April 17th*: Reinhard Laubenbacher, Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine; Director, Laboratory for Systems Medicine, University of Florida

*Part of the 'Modularity of Biological Systems' workshop. All are welcome to attend this seminar. If you are interested in attending the full workshop, please visit the workshop webpage.

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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Applications Open:

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.

Learn More

Applications Open:

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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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