News

• NITMB Moves to Permanent Space
• Random Dynamical Systems, with Applications in Biology Workshop
• Sonja Petrović Spotlight
• Ben Kuznets-Speck Spotlight

Upcoming Events

• Biological Systems that Learn | Jan. 6 - 10, 2025
• Emerging Directions Workshop | Feb. 17 - 21, 2025
• Science + Tea at NITMB | Fridays at 3pm

Opportunities

• NITMB Affiliate Membership
• Workshop Proposals
• Visiting Scholars Program
• Long Program Proposals

NITMB Moves to Permanent Space

We are excited to share the NSF-Simons NITMB has officially moved into the Institute's new, permanent space on the 35th floor of the John Hancock Building! This new space features a dedicated auditorium for convening activities, a dining area, temporary offices for visitors, and extensive open collaborative workspaces for research and interaction.

Come visit our new space! Click here to learn how you can get elevator access into the building.

University of Chicago faculty, students, staff, and other employees will need to submit materials to be issued a Northwestern badge for access to the NITMB suite. Click here to learn more.

Northwestern University faculty, students, staff, and other employees will need to submit a photo of the front and back of their wildcard to access@nitmb.org for access to the suite.

Members of the NITMB community will be invited to explore the space at the Grand Opening Reception on Friday, January 10th, 2025.

Igniting the future of interdisciplinary research at the Random Dynamical Systems, with Applications in Biology workshop

Mathematicians and biologists from around the world recently convened at the NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) for the Random Dynamical Systems, with Applications in Biology workshop. This unique gathering aimed to bridge the gap between mathematical scientists working on random dynamical systems, and biological scientists who incorporate these frameworks in their research.

Explore the 'Random Dynamical Systems' Workshop

Meet Sonja Petrović, Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Learn About Sonja Petrović

Want to nominate a researcher for an NITMB spotlight? Contact NITMB's Digital Media Specialist, Ben Stemen (stemenb@uchicago.edu)

Meet Ben Kuznets-Speck, postdoctoral research fellow in the Yogesh Goyal Lab at Northwestern University.

Learn about Ben Kuznets-Speck

Want to nominate a researcher for an NITMB spotlight? Contact NITMB's Digital Media Specialist, Ben Stemen (stemenb@uchicago.edu)

January 6 - 10, 2025

Explore how biological systems encode local rules for experience-dependent modification in physical hardware to implement robust solutions to complex inverse problems.

The goal of this workshop is to discover new core principles and mathematical tools/approaches shared across physical learning systems, biological learning systems and neural networks that will inform deeper understanding and future discovery in all 3 fields. To this end, we will bring together researchers interested in viewing biological problems through the lens of inverse problems, researchers working on physical learning, and researchers studying neural networks for a week of intensive discussion and cross-fertilization.

Learn More

February 17 - 21, 2025

Experience NITMB, discover available opportunities, and contribute to discussions that will establish the directions NITMB will pursue in 2025 and beyond.

Held annually in the winter, the Emerging Directions Workshop is discussion-based and thematically very broad. Open problems in biology are presented by leading researchers, who share their high-level perspective. These invited speakers are also chosen because they can productively and enthusiastically engage with the many questions and comments from the diverse workshop audience that includes junior researchers and curious mathematicians.

Learn More

Join us every Friday at 3pm for a weekly social event at the NITMB office. Cookies, Cuppa, and Chalk. Come science-alize (science + socialize)!

Learn More

Applications Due December 1, 2024

Faculty from institutions external to Northwestern University and the University of Chicago who want to become regular and active participants in NITMB research, convening programs, and training are invited to apply for NITMB Affiliate Membership!

Learn how to become an NITMB Affiliate Member

We invite the proposals for scientific workshops to be held at the NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology. A Scientific Workshop is a week-long, focused program in a specific area of current research at the intersection of biological and mathematical sciences. NITMB workshops typically have only a few formal talks, with the bulk of the time allocated for discussions, brainstorming, informal chalk talks, and initiating research projects within smaller groups. Scientific workshops receive full administrative and financial support from the Institute.

Propose a Workshop

Participants in the Visiting Scholars program will be appointed for an extended period to visit and work in the NITMB headquarters and participate in the vibrant intellectual life of the NITMB, including workshops, seminars, tutorials, and research-in-progress meetings. NITMB Visiting Scholars will be granted a shared office and, upon request, may also be affiliated with one or more of the NITMB's research groups.



Apply Now

Long Programs offer the opportunity for faculty, postdocs, and students to be in residence at the NITMB. Those in residence conduct research, collaborate with NITMB faculty and NITMB fellows, provide training opportunities for students, and engage with additional visitors. Long Programs address one or more of our five research themes over the course of 4-10 weeks. Long programs receive administrative and financial support from the Institute, allowing organizers to focus on the scientific aspects of the activities.

Propose a Long Program