Society for Mathematical Biology

The Society for Mathematical Biology is an international association co-founded in 1972 in the United States by George Karreman, Herbert Daniel Landahl and by Anthony Bartholomay for the furtherance of joint scientific activities between Mathematics and Biology research communities. The society publishes the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, as well as the quarterly SMB newsletter.

WWW Official Site

History

The Society for Mathematical Biology emerged and grew from the earlier school of mathematical biophysics, initiated by a pioneer of mathematical biology in the United States, Nicolas Rashevsky. Thus, the roots of SMB go back to the publication in 1939 of the first international journal of mathematical biology, originally entitled "The Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics"—which was founded by Nicolas Rashevsky, and which is now published by SMB under the name of "Bulletin of Mathematical Biology". Professor Rashevsky also founded in 1969 the non-profit organization "Mathematical Biology, Incorporated"—the precursor of SMB. Another notable member of the University of Chicago school of mathematical biology was Anatol Rapoport whose major interests were in developing basic concepts in the related area of mathematical sociology, who cofounded the Society for General Systems Research and became a president of the latter society in 1965. Herbert D. Landahl was initially also a member of Rashevsky's school of mathematical biology, and became the second president of SMB in the 1980s; both Herbert Landahl and Robert Rosen from Rashevsky's research group were focused on dynamical systems approaches to complex systems biology, with the latter researcher becoming in 1980 the president of the Society for General Systems Research.

Leadership

The Society for Mathematical Biology is governed by its Officers and Board of Directors, elected by the membership. Current SMB President is Reinhard Laubenbacher, and Past-President serving as vice president is Jane Heffernan. SMB secretary is Brandilyn Stigler, and treasurer is Claus Kadelka.
The current Board of Directors is composed of Jessica Conway, Padmini Rangamani, Amina Eladdadi, Jennifer Flegg, Robyn Araujo, and Richard Bertram.

Years of service	President	Affiliation
1973-1981	George Karreman	University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
1981-1983	Herbert Landahl	University of California, San Francisco
1983-1985	John Stephenson	National Heart Institute, National Institutes of Health
1985-1987	John Jacquez	University of Michigan Medical School
1987-1989	Simon Levin	Cornell University
1989-1991	Stuart Kauffman	Santa Fe Institute
1991-1993	Alan Perelson	Los Alamos National Laboratory
1993-1995	John J. Tyson	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
1995-1997	Leah Edelstein-Keshet	University of British Columbia
1997-1999	Leon Glass	McGill University
1999-2001	Alan Hastings	University of California, Davis
2001-2003	Mark Lewis	University of Alberta
2003-2005	Lou Gross	University of Tennessee at Knoxville
2005-2007	Mark Chaplain	University of Dundee
2007-2009	Avner Friedman	Ohio State University
2009-2011	Michael Mackey	McGill University
2011-2013	Gerda de Vries	University of Alberta
2013-2015	Fred Adler	University of Utah
2015-2017	Santiago Schnell	University of Michigan Medical School
2017-2019	Denise Kirschner	University of Michigan Medical School
2019-2021	Alexander Anderson	Moffitt Cancer Center
2021-2023	Heiko Enderling	Moffitt Cancer Center
2023-2025	Jane Heffernan	York University
2025-2027	Reinhard Laubenbacher	University of Florida

Research and educational activities

In addition to its research and news publications, the society supports education in: mathematical biology, mathematical biophysics, complex systems biology and theoretical biology through sponsorship of several topic-focused graduate and postdoctoral courses. To encourage and stimulate young researchers in this relatively new and rapidly developing field of mathematical biology, the society awards several prizes, as well as lists regularly new open international opportunities for researchers and students in this field.

Bulletin of Mathematical Biology

The society publishes the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology. The Bulletin was founded by Nicolas Rashevsky, under the title of the Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics, before acquiring its present title, and quickly became the classical journal in general mathematical biology and served as the principal natural publication outlet for the majority of mathematical biologists. Many classical papers have appeared in the Bulletin, and several of these are familiar to biologists. It has become an important avenue for the exchange and transmission of new ideas and approaches to biological problems and incorporates both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of mathematical models and characterizations of biological processes and systems.
Nicolas Rashevsky remained the editor of the Bulletin until his death on January 16, 1972.

Years of service	Editor	Affiliation
1939-1972	Nicolas Rashevsky	University of Chicago University of Michigan
1972-1981	Herbert Landahl	University of California, San Francisco
1982-1986	Hugo M. Martinez	University of California, San Francisco
1986-2001	Lee A. Siegel	Weizmann Institute
2002-2015	Philip Maini	University of Oxford
2016 - 2022	Alan Hastings Reinhard Laubenbacher	University of California, Davis University of Connecticut Health
2022–present	Matthew Simpson	Queensland University of Technology

Annual Meetings

The Society holds annual meetings that are important locations for dissemination of research. The Society's website records its annual meetings going back to 2002, although of course they took place earlier due to the Society's history. The Society states on its website regarding its annual meetings: "In odd years, the Annual Meetings are generally organized in North America. In even years, the Annual Meetings are generally organized outside North America." The next annual meeting will take place jointly with the European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology in Graz, Austria, in 2026.