Simulating Collective Dynamics in Living Systems: From Enzymes to Bird Flocks

Catalog description

Computer simulations have emerged as powerful tools for modeling collective behaviors in biological systems. This three-week hands-on mini-course equips graduate students and postdocs with essential skills to build computational models from scratch. Targeted at students and postdocs in biology, computer science, and physics, this course traverses diverse scales: from enzymes to bacteria, tumors, and bird flocks. We focus on two prominent frameworks - agent-based (particle) and continuum (field) models and their distinctive features, advantages, and limitations. Students will translate verbal descriptions into mathematical and computational models and quantify the emergent properties of collective systems. Background in physics or mathematics is not required.