Events
Past Event
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Srividya Iyer-Biswas, Purdue University "Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Srividya Iyer-Biswas, Assistant Professor, Purdue University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Title:
Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics
Abstract:
There has been a longstanding quest to uncover the quantitative laws governing the stochastic growth and division of individual cells. While great strides have been made in unravelling and modeling the details of the gene regulatory networks which dictate growth and division for different organisms, there is regrettable paucity of quantitative physical laws derived from the complementary “top down” perspective. Introducing the unique combination of technologies that facilitated probing these stochastic cellular dynamics with unprecedented precision, I will first summarize the "scaling laws" that govern fluctuations in growth and division of individual cells under steady-state growth conditions. Taking the minimalist perspective, I will argue for how these scaling laws reveal an elegant physical principle governing these complex biological processes: a single cellular unit of time, which scales with external conditions, governs all aspects of stochastic cell growth and division at a given condition. I will then focus on applications of the technology to probe more complex growth conditions, the corresponding generalizations of the physical principle, and the implications for the underlying biological systems design. Finally, I propose an integrative perspective of microbial growth dynamics under balanced conditions, by introducing a multi-scale theoretical framework that takes observables at both scales, single-cell and population, into account. Time permitting, I will make connections with energetic costs of cellular information processing.
Speaker Bio:
Using rapid, iterative feedback between theory and experiments, Srividya Iyer-Biswas works to discover the basic physical laws that govern the probabilistic behavior of single cells, and that transcend details of specific biological systems. Her research uses a top-down physics approach, rather than more traditional approaches that focus on the cartography of genetic networks and on molecular details.
Iyer-Biswas and her team have reported predicative scaling laws governing the stochastic growth and division of cells, and have developed a theory that reveals the emergence of a scalable, cellular unit of time. Her current work involves extending these results to thermodynamics of organismal computation, time-dependent phenomena involving cellular decision-making, and laws that dictate complex biological and social phenomena. Iyer-Biswas began her career as a theoretical physicist, then transitioned to experimental biophysics as a post-doc at Princeton University and the University of Chicago. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Purdue University's Department of Physics and Astronomy.
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems and data science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between.
Time
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
Dynamics Days 2019: International Conference on Nonlinear Dynamics
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
All Day
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Hilton Orrington Evanston
Details
Dynamics Days 2019
International Conference on Nonlinear Dynamics
January 4–6, 2019
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Conference Web site: ddays2019.northwestern.edu
Dynamics Days is an annual conference on applications of nonlinear dynamics. Sessions will cover a broad range of topics, including neuroscience, fluids, data-driven & machine learning methods, nonlinear materials, complex networks, and human & biological systems.
Partial financial support will be provided to a selection of students and postdoctoral researchers. Women and researchers from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Seating is limited and registration is required.
Time
Friday, January 4, 2019
Location
Hilton Orrington Evanston Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
Winter Classes begin 8 a.m.
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Winter Classes begin 8 a.m.
Time
Monday, January 7, 2019
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Luis Amaral, Northwestern University "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Luis Amaral, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Co-Director of the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
Professor Amaral, a native of Portugal, conducts and directs research that provides insight into the emergence, evolution, and stability of complex social and biological systems. His research aims to address some of the most pressing challenges facing human societies and the world’s ecosystems, including the mitigation of errors in healthcare settings, the characterization of the conditions fostering innovation and creativity, or the growth limits imposed by sustainability.
Recently, Amaral proposed the development of cartographic methods for the representation of complex biological networks. These methods will enable researchers to to glean the important information on a given system at the scale of interest to the researcher. These tools hold the promise to enable biomedical researcher to design or re-engineer biological systems for therapeutic purposes.
Professor Amaral has published over a 150 scientific peer-reviewed papers in leading scientific journals. Those papers have been cited in excess of 15 thousand times. His research has been featured in numerous media sources, both in the US and abroad. Professor Amaral has received a CAREER award from the National Institutes of Health, was named a Distinguished Young Scholars in Medical Research by the W. M. Keck Foundation, and has been selected as an Early Career Scientist by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Live Stream:
Time
Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Lauren Balmert, Northwestern University "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Lauren Balmert, Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Balmert's research interests are primarily collaborative and include the application of biostatistics to a wide range of areas including urology, audiology, and pediatric medicine. Previous research has also focused on investigating mortality trends by various geographic and demographic factors. Her methodological research focuses on nonparametric methods for time-to-event data analysis.
Live Stream:
Time
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Monica Olvera de la Cruz, Northwestern University "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Monica Olvera de la Cruz, Lawyer Taylor Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
Research in the Olvera de la Cruz group is centered around the development of models to describe the self-assembly of heterogeneous molecules including amphiphiles, copolymers, and synthetic and biological polyelectrolytes, as well as the segregation and interface adsorption in multicomponent complex fluids. Work by the group has resulted in a revised model of ionic-driven assembly: demonstrating the electrostatic spontaneous symmetry breaking of ionic fibers and membranes, and identifying its relevance to biological functions and to the design of functional materials. The group's investigations into soft and condensed matter physics have advanced scientific knowledge and opened new research fields of technological importance, including gel electrophoreses dynamics, self-organization of molecular electrolytes into bio-mimetic materials, self-assembly of heterogeneous molecules into complex nanostructures, interface adsorption and phase segregation dynamics and structure of multicomponent fluids.
Live Stream:
Time
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Leslie DeChurch, Northwestern University "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Leslie DeChurch, Professor of Communication Studies, Northwestern University
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
Leslie DeChurch’s research investigates teamwork and leadership in organizations. She is Professor of Communication Studies, and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Psychology, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. She is President and Chairperson of the Board of INGRoup, the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research.
Professor DeChurch leads the ATLAS lab: Advancing Teams, Leaders, and Systems. ATLAS explores the dynamics through which teams form, and how these dynamics affect their performance as teams, and their ability to work as larger organizational systems (multiteam systems). ATLAS conducts laboratory and online experiments, meta-analytic integrations, and field studies of teams and leaders to understand their core organizing processes. Such processes include: leadership networks, team cognition, team conflict and motivation, and team information sharing.
Live Stream:
Time
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Chris Wolverton, Northwestern University "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Chris Wolverton, Jerome B. Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
Chris Wolverton's research group is centered on computational materials science, and specifically first-principles quantum mechanical simulation tools. These computational tools have advanced to the point now where materials may be "synthesized virtually", with their properties predicted on a computer before ever being synthesized in a laboratory. These tools also open the field of "materials informatics" where we can use machine learning tools to explore materials datasets and discover new materials. In this work, his group is working towards a goal of being able to suggest new materials in the same way that Netflix and Amazon can recommend movies or books.
Live Stream:
Time
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Sera Young, Northwestern University "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Sera Young, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
The focus of Dr. Young’s work is on the reduction of maternal and child-undernutrition in the first 1000 days, especially in low-resource settings. Methodologically, she draws on her training in medical anthropology (MA, University of Amsterdam), international nutrition (PhD, Cornell) and HIV (Fellowship, University of California San Francisco) to take a biocultural approach to understanding how mothers in low-resource settings cope to preserve their health and that of their families.
Live Stream:
Time
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)