ICTS

Contemporary research in biology is increasingly becoming more quantitative in nature. As such, "...we are drowning in a sea of data and thirsting for some theoretical framework with which to understand it" [Brenner (2012)]. The absence of meaningful exchanges between experimentalists and theoreticians is a glaring reason for this state of affairs. The broad aim of the second edition of "Thirsting for theoretical biology" is to expose people who have a background in the physical and mathematical sciences to a range of interesting biological phenomena at the cellular and tissue level as experimentalists view them. The meeting will showcase examples of theory-experiment interactions that can deepen our understanding of living matter and will also feature a panel discussion titled 'What is theoretical biology?'. In addition, there will be a discussion, aimed mainly at students, on why theoretical and quantitative biology offers exciting prospects for a research career. The topics to be covered in the meeting will include the regulation of genetic activity, chromosome dynamics, cytoskeletal organisation, molecular motors, cellular energetics, stem cell behaviour, cell-cell interactions, developmental homeostasis and morphogenesis.