UT Knoxville wins $16M NSF mathematics and biology center

KNOXVILLE -- Mathematicians and biologists from around the world will converge on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to take part in a new institute dedicated to finding creative solutions to pressing problems from animal disease to wildfire control.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded UT Knoxville $16 million to begin the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, or NIMBioS. UT Knoxville won the award in competition with 18 of the nation's other top research institutions. The center will be directed by Louis Gross, a professor of math and ecology and evolutionary biology.

"NIMBioS is an exceptional addition to our campus," said Jan Simek, UT Knoxville interim chancellor. "Our success in this competition reflects our growing reputation as one of the nation's top research universities. All of us are proud of this new opportunity, and we all look forward to the impact this center will have on our campus, our region and ultimately, on our nation and the world."

Funding for the institute will be used to create a high-tech center on the UT Knoxville campus that will draw more than 600 researchers from around the world each year to take part in working groups, workshops and conferences.

A unique aspect of NIMBioS will be its partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park and its Twin Creeks Science Center will play a key role in the institute's work, with the park serving as a testing ground for many of the ideas that come from NIMBioS.

Partners in NIMBioS include NSF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Industry partners include IBM and ESRI.

Mathematical biology is a growing field that applies the power of mathematics and modeling to complex biological problems at scales ranging from the tiniest microorganisms to the movement of species across thousands of acres, over periods of time that can stretch over the entire course of evolution.

Whether developing better strategies to control the spread of invasive species or determining the best way to combat wildfires, the techniques allow researchers to take a broader, more systematic approach to finding the best possible solutions.

"We believe this center is poised to be a global hub for mathematical and biological research," said Gross. "By taking a unique approach to scientific collaboration across a variety of disciplines, NIMBioS will have an immediate impact."

According to Jim Collins, NSF assistant director for biological sciences, the center reflects recent shifts in biology.