European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology

European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology
Name	European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology
Formation	1990s
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Europe
Region served	Europe
Languages	English
Leader title	President

European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology is a learned society that promotes research at the interface of mathematics and biology across Europe and internationally. It brings together academics from institutions such as Imperial College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, École Normale Supérieure, Max Planck Society and CNRS to advance quantitative approaches in life sciences. The society interfaces with broader scientific organizations including the Royal Society, European Research Council, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust, and European Commission funding programmes.

History

The society traces origins to informal networks among researchers affiliated with Institut Pasteur, University of Paris, University of Göttingen, University of Edinburgh, University of Barcelona, Karolinska Institutet, and ETH Zurich during workshops in the 1990s, alongside meetings linked to the Royal Society and European Science Foundation. Founding members included scientists connected to Göteborg University, University of Milan, University of Helsinki, University of Vienna, and University of Copenhagen, influenced by earlier traditions from groups around Mathematical Biosciences Institute and the Society for Mathematical Biology (US). Early conferences were held in cities such as Paris, Berlin, Rome, Lisbon, and Stockholm and attracted participants from Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Chicago.

Objectives and Activities

The society's objectives emphasize cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, ETH Zurich, University of Amsterdam, University of Leuven, University of Munich, and University of Zurich. Activities include organizing meetings that connect investigators from King's College London, Trinity College Dublin, University of Bologna, University of Padua, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Technical University of Munich, Delft University of Technology, Politecnico di Milano, and TU Delft. The society supports early-career researchers from networks linked to Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Horizon 2020, ERC Starting Grants, EMBO, and Human Frontier Science Program through training schools, workshops, and mentoring schemes.

Conferences and Events

Annual and biennial congresses rotate among host institutions such as University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, École Polytechnique, Scuola Normale Superiore, University of Barcelona, University of Warsaw, University of Strasbourg, Trinity College Dublin, and University of Vienna. Special sessions have been co-located with conferences organized by Society for Mathematical Biology (US), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Society of Evolutionary Biology, International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, and Gordon Research Conferences. The society has run thematic workshops in partnership with Institut Pasteur, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Sonderforschungsbereich programmes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and national academies including the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Académie des sciences.

Publications and Awards

The society endorses publication venues and prizes, promoting work in journals such as Journal of Theoretical Biology, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, PNAS, Nature Physics, Nature Communications, PLoS Computational Biology, European Physical Journal E, and Chaos. It has established awards for early-career excellence and lifetime achievement, analogous to honours conferred by Royal Society, EMBO, European Research Council, Guggenheim Fellowship, and national academies including the British Academy and Académie des sciences. Society-endorsed special issues have appeared with publishers associated with Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Springer Nature, Elsevier, and Wiley-Blackwell.

Governance and Membership

Governance follows a council and executive model with officers elected from academics at University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, University of Edinburgh, Karolinska Institutet, University of Milan, University of Barcelona, and University of Bonn. Membership categories serve researchers affiliated with Institut Pasteur, Max Planck Society, CNRS, CNR, INSERM, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, and technical universities such as TU Munich, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Politecnico di Torino. The society cooperates with national mathematical societies including the London Mathematical Society, Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung, Società Italiana di Matematica Applicata e Industriale, and the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Wiskunde in governance and standards.

Collaborations and Outreach

Collaborations extend to international partners such as Society for Mathematical Biology (US), Japanese Society for Mathematical Biology, Australian Mathematical Society, International Society for Computational Biology, European Molecular Biology Organization, Wellcome Trust, European Commission, and universities like MIT, Caltech, UCLA, University of Toronto, and McGill University. Outreach targets policymakers and the public via joint events with Royal Society, European Research Council, European Public Health Alliance, World Health Organization, and institutions like Science Museum (London), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, and Deutsches Museum. The society promotes diversity and inclusion consistent with initiatives by Marie Curie Actions, Horizon Europe, ERC Consolidator Grants, and international graduate programmes at EMBL-EBI and Sanger Institute.

Category:Scientific societies