Mini-symposium 11

Complex adaptive and evolutionary models in biology

In recent years, the merger of complexity with evolutionary theory has become increasingly recognized as a fundamental theoretical organizing model for understanding aspects of biological systems across scales and time, including systems and synthetic biology. A focus on evolution and complexity has also transformed social sciences and led to a much better understanding of the nature of coupled bio-social systems. In this mini-symposium, we will bring together a group of distinguished researchers in Mathematics and Biology who have particular expertise in developing, analyzing and applying mathematical models to link the proximate and ultimate drivers of selection and understand their consequences for complex systems. The invited speakers will present cutting-edge studies ranging from the influence of evolution on populations, to the stabilizing role of phenotypic plasticity in evolutionary games. We expect these talks to provide valuable insights for future modeling improvement and to open new opportunities for collaboration among Mathematicians, Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists.

Invited speakers

Rick Durrett: Heterogeneity in the Spatial Moran Model and the Cancer Field Effect.

Jim Cushing: Environmental change and life history strategies: cannibalism and reproductive synchrony.

Organisers

Nicolas Lanchier (Arizona State University, USA) and Yun Kang (Arizona State University, USA).