News

• NITMB Announces New Director to Lead the Institute
• NITMB Postdoctoral Fellows: Applications Open
• Summer Undergraduate Research Program Highlight
• Welcoming Second Cohort of NITMB Fellows
• Arvind Murugan Named 2025 Schmidt Polymath
• Daniel Cooney Affiliate Member Bio



Upcoming Events

• NITMB Seminar Series
• Microbial Communities: Energetics and Dynamics Across Space and Time | October 27 - 31, 2025
• Machine Learning of Cytoskeletal Machines (Cell Migration and Mitosis) | November 3 - 5, 2025 | Applications Open
• Expanding the Palette of Mathematics in Biology | January 20 - 22, 2026 | Applications Open

Opportunities

• Workshop Proposals
• Visiting Scholars Program
• Long Program Proposals

NITMB Announces New Director to Lead the Institute

NITMB recently announced that Richard (Rich) Carthew, the Owen L. Coon Professor of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University, stepped down as the Director of NITMB on September 1st, 2025, and that Antonio (Tuca) Auffinger, Professor of Mathematics at Northwestern University, will serve as the new Director. NITMB extends a heartfelt thanks and very best wishes to Rich and warmly welcomes Tuca into his new role at the institute.

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NITMB Postdoctoral Fellows

Applications Due Nov. 1st, 2025

We seek early-career researchers who have interest in transforming biological research and inspiring new mathematical discoveries for the NITMB Fellows program! NITMB Fellows conduct independent research programs, in collaboration with NITMB faculty members or others outside the Institute, focused on developing new mathematics and statistics relevant to challenges in biology.

Apply Now

Building the Next Generation of Scientists in Chicago

NITMB's Summer Undergraduate Research Program was highlighted in a new spotlight from Walder Foundation! We're grateful for Walder Foundation's support for our program training future scientists for interdisciplinary work driving innovation and discovery.

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Welcoming the Second Cohort of NITMB Fellows

We're excited to formally welcome our second cohort of NITMB Fellows to the Institute! NITMB Fellows develop and conduct independent research programs aligned with the Institute's interest in constraints and the capabilities of living systems under the mentorship of NITMB leaders.

Explore the Research Directions of NITMB Fellows Cohort 2

NITMB Faculty Member Arvind Murugan Named 2025 Schmidt Polymath

We're excited to share that NITMB Faculty Member Arvind Murugan, Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Chicago, was named a 2025 Schmidt Polymath! Schmidt Polymaths each receive up to $2.5 million over five years to pursue research in new disciplines or using new methodologies. Congratulations Dr. Murugan!

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Using mathematical models to explore cross-scale biological dynamics

Meet Daniel Cooney, NITMB Affiliate Member and assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign!

Meet Daniel Cooney

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

October NITMB Seminars

We're excited to kick off the 2025-26 NITMB Seminar Series! Join us virtually or in-person at NITMB for these upcoming seminars in October:

October 3rd: Sergei Maslov, Professor, Bioengineering and Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

October 10th: Richard Carthew, NITMB Director Emeritus and Owen L. Coon Professor of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University

October 17th: Siwei Wang, assistant professor, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University

October 24th: Cody FitzGerald, James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University

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Applications Open:

Machine Learning of Cytoskeletal Machines (Cell Migration and Mitosis)

November 3 - 5, 2025

Discover opportunities to use machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches in the study of cytoskeleton and mechanochemical machines driving cell movements and division!

This workshop will convene data scientists, experimental biologists, mathematical modelers and biophysicists using or interested in starting to use machine learning to study cytoskeletal dynamics, cell migration and mitosis. The workshop is structured to help participants identify the most promising opportunities for developing and using ML tools to answer biological questions.

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Applications Open:

Expanding the Palette of Mathematics in Biology

January 20 - 22, 2026

Explore biological questions in new theoretical ways and give rise to new mathematical problems!

This workshop will bring together mathematicians working on areas not traditionally associated with "mathematical biology" and biologists interested in exploring their biological questions in new theoretical ways. The goal is to identify specific biological questions that could be viewed from different mathematical lenses, and to foster mutual interaction between the two groups.

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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 focused program in a specific area of current research at the intersection of biological and mathematical sciences. NITMB workshops range from 2 to 5 days and typically have only a few formal talks, with the bulk of the time allocated for tutorials, 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 work-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