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National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology Advancing biologythrough mathematics

Who We Are

The NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) integrates the disciplines of mathematics and biology to transform the practice of biological research and to inspire new mathematical discoveries.

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NITMB is a partnership between Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. It is funded by the National Science Foundation DMS-2235451 and the Simons Foundations MP-TMPS-00005320.

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Our Work

Revealing the rules that govern life.

Research supported by NITMB focuses on developing mathematical frameworks that illuminate emergent capabilities of biological systems. We are developing the theory and mathematics needed to highlight the fundamental roles of physical, chemical, and biological constraints as organizing principles for understanding biological mechanisms.

Our Research

Research Themes

NITMB focuses on fields of mathematics where the constraints of biological systems show promise for novel developments. Examples include geometry, topology, optimization theory, dynamical systems, machine learning, inverse problems, statistical inference, mathematical modeling, and probability. Understanding constraints from mathematical and biological perspectives provides a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary work, with mathematical research that will advance our knowledge of biology and biology research that will catalyze new mathematics.

Information Processing

All forms of life, from single cells to higher organisms, encode and process information, enabling sensing, adaptation, coordination, and decision-making. We develop a quantitative understanding of how living systems optimize information flow in the face of energetic, thermodynamic, and robustness constraints.

Information Processing

Fidelity & Variation

Despite conditions of uncertainty and variability, living systems are maintained with a high degree of fidelity, while being able to vary, adapt, and evolve. To understand how organisms achieve reliability in the face of varying inputs, we tackle challenges related to complex high-dimensional features of biological systems and data coming from emerging experimental biological technologies.

Fidelity and Variation

Fitness & Optimization

The evolutionary pressures that drive adaptation can be represented as physical, chemical, historical, and biological constraints on a fitness landscape, governing the ability to survive and reproduce. We study how these distinct constraints interact to shape the capabilities of living systems to examine the boundaries they create and the pathways organisms take to optimize their survival.

Fitness and Optimization

Learning & Adaption

Living systems learn over a wide set of timescales and adapt to new conditions in a collective fashion and with limited training—in contrast to modern machine learning. Addressing the statistical, computational, and mathematical challenges of learning and adaptation will shed light on mechanisms of biological learning, and inform new, biologically inspired machine-learning algorithms.

Learning and Adaption

Prediction & Anticipation

Biological systems must anticipate changes in their environment and adjust their internal machinery to feed, rest, mate, and bloom at optimal times. We investigate the mechanisms that enable anticipation, from simple circadian oscillations anticipating dawn and dusk, to sophisticated planning of foraging strategies.

Prediction and Anticipation

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What We Do

Integrate the disciplines of mathematics and biology

The mission of the NITMB is to create a nationwide collaborative research community that will generate new mathematical results and uncover the “rules of life” through theories, data-informed mathematical models, and computational and statistical tools. The NITMB leverages close collaborations between experimentalists and theorists to synergize discovery. The fundamental research done by the NITMB is providing a foundation for future advancements in areas as diverse as the environment, medicine, and technology development. NITMB members and visitors share space in downtown Chicago that is readily accessible to collaborators across the U.S. and the world.

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Convening Activities

Decoding Life Together

Convening activities are critical for bridging gaps between mathematics and biology, and for uniting these disciplines over major questions of common interest. They are organized around broad conceptual themes common to mathematics and biology and highlight opportunities for mathematicians to develop new mathematics that have a direct impact on biology research.

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Open Opportunities

Apply to NITMB Programs

We invite mathematicians and biologists across disciplines and career stages to connect with open opportunities and engage in collaborative research at NITMB.

Fellows Program Affiliate Membership

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Contact Us

Mailing Address

875 N Michigan Ave.
Suite 3500
Chicago, IL, 60611

Building Entrance

172 E. Chestnut St.

Email
nitmb@nitmb.org

Phone
312-503-2022

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Reach out to our Engagement and Community lead, Julie DesJardins, who can help you.

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