ICTS

Biological physics is poised to make significant advances in the coming decades. As experiments on living systems become ever more quantitative and reproducible, it is imperative to develop models and theoretical frameworks to explain the massive amounts of data. The first decadal survey on biological physics conducted by the National Academies of the USA summarises that “Biological physics, or the physics of living systems, has emerged fully as a field of physics, alongside more traditional fields of astrophysics and cosmology, atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, and plasma physics. This new field brings the physicist's style of inquiry to bear on the beautiful phenomena of life. The enormous range of phenomena encountered in living systems – phenomena that often have no analogue or precedent in the inanimate world – means that the intellectual agenda of biological physics is exceptionally broad, even by the ambitious standards of physics.”

This winter school on theoretical biological physics will impart rigorous training in core and foundational topics of the field. The core courses will develop a broad, but rigorous, knowledge base for all branches of biological physics. There will also be topical courses on selected themes in biology that will build on the core courses. The school will also have a few lectures on advanced topics.

Core courses
Stochastic processes: Debashish Chowdhury
Dynamical systems and networks: Sandeep Krishna
Soft and active matter: Brato Chakrabarti
Information theory: Sarthak Chandra

Topical Courses
Neurobiology: Vijay Balasubramaniam
Immunology: Carmen Molina-Paris

​Eligibility criteria: This winter School invites PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Applicants should have backgrounds in physics, mathematics, or engineering, and have a demonstrated interest in, but not necessarily any formal exposure to, biology. Selected participants will be expected to attend the entire school.

There may be limited travel support for participants from India.

Accommodation will be provided for outstation participants at our on campus guest house.

ICTS is committed to building an environment that is inclusive, non-discriminatory and welcoming of diverse individuals. We especially encourage the participation of women and other under-represented groups.