# Society for Mathematical Biology

The Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB) is an international association co-founded in 1972 in the United States by George Karreman, Herbert Daniel Landahl and (initially chaired) 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.

## History

The Society for Mathematical Biology emerged and grew from the earlier school of mathematical biophysics, initiated and supported by the Founder of Mathematical Biology, Nicolas Rashevsky. Thus, the roots of SMB go back to the publication in 1939 of the first international journal of mathematical biology, previously entitled "The Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics"—which was founded by Nicolas Rashevsky, and which is currently 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 Jane Heffernan (York University), and Past-President serving as vice president is Heiko Enderling (Moffitt Cancer Center). SMB secretary is Jon Forde (Hobart and William Smith Colleges), and treasurer is Stanca Ciupe (Virginia Tech).
The current Board of Directors is composed of Ruth Baker (University of Oxford), Padmini Rangamani (University of California San Diego), Amina Eladdadi (The College of St Rose), Peter Kim (The University of Sydney), Robyn Araujo (Queensland University of Technology), and Amber Smith (University of Tennessee Health Science Center).
SMB presidents :
| 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 | Gerde 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 |

## 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 Dr. Nicolas Rashevsky, who is generally recognized as the founder of the first organized group in mathematical biology in the world. The journal was originally published as the Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics, 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.
Dr. Rashevsky remained the editor of the Bulletin until his death on January 16, 1972.
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology Editor-in-Chief :
| 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 |