US-South Africa Workshop: Mathematical Methods in Systems Biology and Population Dynamics, AIMS, Cape Town, South Africa

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"Mathematical Methods in Systems Biology and Population Dynamics" is a workshop organized at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2012, to facilitate new collaborations between researcher in the United States and Africa. This workshop brings together applied mathematicians with researchers working in various biological and medical fields in order to exchange ideas and advances the knowledge of research globally by initiating and promoting collaborations motivated by challenging problems. These include the spread of infectious diseases (epidemiology) or the growing need for robust and reliable models in ecology, both of special importance in the host country of South Africa where research naturally has focused on fighting disease and epidemics. In the United States, on the other hand, a strong emphasis exists on Systems Biology and especially on its aspects related to other diseases, including cancer. Therefore a second focus area of the workshop includes improved and more realistic models for the dynamic progression and treatment for various types of cancer, a truly global challenging problem. There exist various mathematical methods and techniques (e.g., dynamical systems, optimal control) that apply to both major areas, while often only one or the other is being used by researchers in a specific field. In this workshop these groups are brought together together to initiate new and nurture existing collaborations while at the same time bringing new mathematicians and scientists into this exciting interdisciplinary field. The organizing committee believes that mathematics has much to offer to the medical and biological communities and that methods and techniques from mathematics can deepen the understanding of many problems in systems biology, epidemiology and population dynamics. The workshop is expected to have an exceptional educational impact because of the unique character of AIMS, which is a center for graduate studies in the mathematical sciences in Africa with emphasis on mathematical biology. Thus the participation of researchers and students from various African countries is guaranteed. Special efforts are made to recruit as participants U.S. graduate students and postdoctoral researchers and enable interactions that will catalyze collaborations between these groups. The presence of both senior and junior researchers and students from both U.S. and Africa will provide a great opportunity for mentoring activities within the workshop. The results of the workshop will be disseminated through published proceedings and further research contacts.