The Midwest Mathematical Biology Seminar will be a series of virtual talks on mathematical biology featuring speakers from the Midwest region and beyond. All areas of mathematical biology will be represented in the seminar series, and a goal for this seminar is to build connections and foster research collaborations.
Schedule (Spring 2026)
(All talks at 11am Eastern Time / 10am Central Time on Tuesdays)
Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/84907159401?pwd=JboBtq30vntVuEpj8s3yYfAdwlb258.1
January 13: Maximillian Newman (University of Chicago)
Title: How to model genetic inheritance across the genome
Abstract: Statistics in population genetics rely on understanding how a sample n genes in a population of size N >> n coalesce backwards in time to form a genetic tree called a gene genealogy, a tree-like structure that encodes the relatedness of the samples. Implicit in population genetic methods is the assumption that genes sampled far enough apart on the genome have independent genealogies. I will explain how in structured populations with large migrations and uneven offspring distributions this independence assumption fails, and what new mathematical object arise when one tries to model the distribution of these genealogies across the genome. This is based on probabilistic work, though I will assume minimal background in probability theory.
January 20: Open
January 27: Haridas Das (Oklahoma State University)
Title: Exploring Disease Transmission in Metapopulations: The Influence of Human Mobility and Heterogeneity
Abstract: Human mobility is a key driver of disease transmission, shaping how outbreaks unfold across regions. In this talk, I will show how mobility-driven networks generate distinct disease dynamics in metapopulations, which are geographically separated subpopulations connected through movement. In the first part, we use a metapopulation framework to analyze how network structure affects the basic reproduction number (R₀). We introduce the Standard Threshold Property and identify network classes, such as fully connected and star-shaped networks, that share epidemic thresholds, while cycle-shaped networks exhibit distinct dynamics. The second part integrates cellphone-based mobility data into a county-level metapopulation model across the United States. We identify hotspot and superspreader counties and evaluate targeted interventions, including localized R₀ reduction and selective mobility restrictions. Results show that hybrid strategies focusing on key counties can achieve epidemic control comparable to statewide lockdowns. These studies highlight how combining network theory with mobility data can inform adaptive, effective strategies for disease control and pandemic preparedness.
February 3: Open
February 10: Open
February 17: Open
February 24: Open
March 3: Open
March 10: Open
March 17: Artem Novozhilov (North Dakota State University)
March 24: Abdel Halloway (Case Western Reserve University)
March 31: Harman Jaggi (Princeton University)
April 7: Desmond Yengi (Grinnell College)
April 14: Nour Khoudari (Purdue University)
April 21: Open
April 28: Open
May 5: Open
May 12: Open
May 19: Open
May 26: Open
Schedule (Fall 2025)
(All talks at 11am Eastern Time / 10am Central Time on Tuesdays)
Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/84907159401?pwd=JboBtq30vntVuEpj8s3yYfAdwlb258.1
September 2: Tin Phan (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
September 9: Maliha Ahmed (MIT)
September 16: Peter Thomas (Case Western Reserve University)
September 23: Maxwell Kreider (Penn State)
September 30: Po-Chun Kuo (Purdue University)
October 7: Naghmeh Akhavan (University of Michigan)
October 14: Hwai-Ray Tung (University of Utah)
October 21: Folashade Agusto (University of Kansas)
October 28: Hyukpyo Hong (University of Wisconsin — Madison)
November 4: Ruby Kim (University of Michigan)
November 11: Swati Patel (Oregon State University)
November 18: Cody FitzGerald (Northwestern University)
November 25: Farshad Shirani (Emory University)
December 2: Ted Loch-Temzelides (Rice University)
December 9: Binan Gu (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
December 16: Tyler Simmons (University of Minnesota)
Schedule (Spring 2025)
(All talks at 4pm Eastern Time / 3pm Central Time on Fridays)
January 24: Bo Deng (University of Nebraska, Lincoln)
January 31: Mingchao Cai (Morgan State)
February 7: Claus Kadelka (Iowa State University)
February 14: Peter Hinow (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee)
February 21: Chengcheng Huang (University of Pittsburgh)
February 28: Veronica Ciocanel (Duke University)
SPECIAL TIME (2pm Eastern Time / 1pm Central Time)
March 7: Adrian Lam (Ohio State University)
March 14: Sabrina Streipert (University of Pittsburgh)
March 21: Merlin Pelz (University of Minnesota)
March 28: Meghan Ferrall-Fairbanks (University of Florida)
April 4: Zixuan Cang (North Carolina State University)
April 11: Jia Gou (University of California Riverside) Cancelled by the speaker.
April 18: Stephanie Dodson (Colby College)
April 25: Montie Avery (Boston University)
May 2: Bo Zhang ( Oklahoma State University)
Zoom Link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/82616248519?pwd=CAR0v0aaIpTnIVwxJDa59wFvusobot.1.
May 9: Mario Gómez Flores (Florida State University)
Schedule (Fall 2024)
(All talks at 2pm Eastern Time / 1pm Central Time on Fridays)
September 6: Al Holder (Rose Hulman Institute of Technology)
September 13: Jichun Xie (Duke University)
September 20: Samantha Linn (University of Utah)
September 27: Guowei Wei (Michigan State)
October 4: Polly Yu (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
October 11: Laurel Ohm (University of Wisconsin–Madison)
October 18: Hongsong Feng (Michigan State)
October 25: Alexandria Volkening (Purdue University)
November 1: Hyunjoong Kim (University of Cincinnati)
November 8: Kelsey Gasior (University of Notre Dame)
November 15: Wai-Tong Louis Fan (Indiana University Bloomington)
November 22: Zhe Su (Michigan State)
December 6: Gregory Handy (University of Minnesota)
December 13: Erik Amezquita Morataya (University of Missouri)
This seminar series is co-organized by Ning Wei (Purdue University) and Daniel Cooney (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). You can sign up for email updates on the seminar series by joining the Midwest Mathematical Biology Google Group (https://groups.google.com/g/midwest-mathematical-biology-seminar/about).