Growth and division in mathematics and medicine

A collaborative incubator

4 – 6 November 2019, University College London

A collaborative workshop designed to bring together people with different perspectives on processes of growth and division, and get us talking.

The incubator will kick off with talks outlining questions around growth and division from a range of areas in mathematics, science and medicine. Participants will work together in groups to develop the questions into well-defined problems and discuss ideas for solutions.

Speakers

Rob Jack (Cambridge) -- statistical physics modelling of biomolecules, glassy liquids and soft matter
Aline Marguet (Inria Grenoble Rhône-Alpes) -- modelling and inference for populations of cells, their division and genetics
Juraj Szavits-Nossan (Edinburgh) -- modelling of protein biosynthesis and statistical physics
Minmin Wang (Sussex) -- probabilistic approaches to neutron transport
Sarah Woolner (Manchester) -- division mechanisms in epithelial cells
Wei-Feng Xue (Kent) -- formation and molecular lifecycle of amyloid protein aggregates

Documents

Slides

Robert Jack Growth clusters: simple models, symmetry breaking, and fluctuations
Aline Marguet Modelling and statistics of branching processes
Juraj Szavits-Nossan Mathematical models for gene expression data
Minmin Wang Probabilistic approaches to neutron transport problems
Sarah Woolner (large file!) Cell division in epithelial tissue: mechanical regulation
Wei-Feng Xue (large file!) The division of amyloid assemblies and their infective and cytotoxic potential

Ideas from discussions

Summaries on Wednesday

Links to outputs

Gene expression project - github repo (Renate Retkute)

Photo

Photo of workshop participants

Photo of W-F Xue, A Marguet and A Watson

Registration

See the privacy notice for details of how we will use your data.

The event is governed by a Code of Conduct.

Further information

What is the incubator?

We will run the incubator as a kind of study group. Speakers will present on topics of interest to them with a focus on open problems. We will work on them in groups to see what we come up with. Participants can stick to one problem, change problems or move around; the key thing is that there'll be brain storming, discussion and calculation. On the last day, progress will be presented. The workshop is open to all: people from any relevant discipline at any career stage.

What is the aim?

The main goal is working together; working with other people on a problem is a great way to learn what other people know and how they think. Of course, we also hope that the workshop will lead to long-lasting collaborations. We might also make some interesting progress on the specific open problems suggested by speakers.

This workshop is part of a bigger project being run by the University of Bath and funded through the EPSRC inclusion matters programme. You may be contacted by the postdoc social sciences researcher from Bath to ask some questions about your experiences before, during and after the workshop. Amongst other things they are trying to get an idea of whether the collaborative nature of the workshop has any measurable benefits. You are under no obligation to help them, but it would be great if you could spare a few minutes of your time.

You can find out more information about the wider project here.

Schedule and location

The workshop runs Monday to Wednesday, 4 to 6 November 2019. It will take place in 16 Taviton Street, fourth floor, room 433 (the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, labelled 'SSEES' on this map).

Monday 4 November

9.00 Registration
9.30 Introductory talk
9.50 Robert Jack + Q&A
10.35 Coffee break
11.05 Minmin Wang + Q&A
11.50 Discussion
12.40 Feedback
12.50 Lunch
14.00 Sarah Woolner + Q&A
14.45 Coffee break
15.15 Wei-Feng Xue + Q&A
16.00 Discussion
16.50 Feedback
17.00 End

Tuesday 5 November

9.30 Aline Marguet + Q&A
10.15 Coffee break
10.45 Juraj Szavits-Nossan + Q&A
11.30 Discussion
12.20 Feedback
12.30 Lunch + group formation
14.00 Group work
15.00 Coffee
15.30 Group work
17.00 Feedback
17.30 End
18.30 Dinner

Wednesday 6 November

9.30 Group work
10.45 Coffee
11.15 Group work
12.30 Lunch
14.00 Group work (coffee available)
16.00 Feedback and discussion session
17.00 End

As you can see, the majority of the time will be devoted to discussions within small groups of people interested in a particular topic. You can stick to one group or float between them, as desired.

Is it going to be all mathematics (or all medicine, or...)?

No - the goal of the workshop is to unite scientists, mathematicians and statisticians to everyone's benefit. All of us sometimes find ourselves in need of a fresh perspective or someone with a different toolset. This workshop is a chance to bridge gaps between disciplines and find collaborations for the future.

About the location

The event is on the fourth floor. There is step-free access to the room and there is an accessible single-stall toilet on the same floor as the event. There is also a gender-neutral toilet on the third floor of the building.

For detailed access information, see https://www.accessable.co.uk/venues/taviton-16-classroom-433. Please let the organisers know if you have any access or other requirements or have any questions.

Contact

Email: Alex Watson.