News

• Moumita Das Video Profile
• Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights Workshop Recordings
• Laura Kubatko Affiliate Member Bio



Upcoming Events

• Extreme Events in Biological Functions | June 1 - 5, 2026
• Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation: Mathematical Foundations | June 15 - 18, 2026
• Cell State Transitions and Fate (in)decisions | June 30 - July 2, 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

• Focused Research Group Awards
• Workshop Proposals
• Visitor Program
• Long Program Proposals

Watch: Moumita Das on uncovering the physical principles of biological cells and tissues with AI and Math

Discover research uncovering the physical principles of biological cells and tissues with AI and math! Moumita Das is a Professor of physics at the Rochester Institute of Technology. At NITMB, she was co-organizer of the 'Expanding the Palette of Mathematics in Biology' workshop.

Estimating evolutionary processes from large-scale data

Meet Laura Kubatko, Professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, and of Statistics at Ohio State University!

Meet Laura Kubatko

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

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.

Learn More

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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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

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