Commemorating 10 Years of Systems & Computational Biology
Ten years ago, Einstein established its department of systems & computational biology. On April 26, in celebration of this milestone, the department hosted a one-day symposium of invited speakers renowned in the field.
Dr. Aviv Bergman (third from right) with symposium speakers (from left) Drs. Barry Honig, Marcus Feldman, Günter Wagner, Tanja Kortemme, and Walter Fontana
Since its inception the department has recruited faculty focused on expanding theoretical and experimental approaches to understanding living systems. Aviv Bergman, Ph.D., the department’s professor and founding chair, noted, “The symposium and celebration is a family event, and invited speakers are friends of the family who also work on the big picture questions we are interested in.”
Held in a packed LeFrak Auditorium, in the Price Center/Block Research Pavilion, the day’s presenters offered insights on the higher-level behavior of complex biological systems, ranging from neural structure to human populations and cultural evolution. The theme of the forum centered on concepts aimed at understanding the principles that make us who we are in terms of evolution, based on studies using multidisciplinary research approaches.
“Looking to the future, we plan to pursue biological questions through the lens of evolutionary constraints,” said Dr. Bergman. “It’s our hope that this could ultimately instruct the future of medicine as well.”
Posted on: Friday, August 03, 2018