We have witnessed enormous growth in biological research spurred on by a technological revolution in mathematical models and methods that has allowed for the generation of vast amounts of previously inaccessible biological data. Responding to the challenges of working with large quantities of data, the DST-NRF SARChI Chair in Mathematical Models and Methods in Biosciences and Bioengineering was established at UP in 2013. The Chair has established a strong research agenda pursued by an active group of principal investigators.
The main focus is on epidemiological modelling of diseases in humans, livestock and plants, with the aim of providing scientific support for knowledge-based policy-making. It is worthwhile emphasising that this would not be possible without the simultaneous development of fundamental aspects of mathematics such as dynamical systems and partial differential equations, as well as numerical methods. Maintaining a healthy balance between pure and applied mathematical research in the research group has contributed to the strength of the Chair.
Professor Jean Lubuma, the first incumbent of the Chair (2013-2015), has been succeeded by Professor Jacek Banasiak (above). Professor Banasiak is a B1-rated scientist and applied mathematician specialising in the analysis of dynamical systems modelling processes in technological, physical and natural sciences. His research has covered fragmentation and coagulation processes, network dynamics, as well as structured population dynamics and epidemiology. More recently his work has extended to include multiple scale and network dynamics aiming, in particular, at developing robust techniques to simplify complex dynamical systems based on the existence of different time and space scales.
The work of the Chair is supported by an excellent team of interdisciplinary principal investigators who include Professor R Anguelov, Dr M Chapwanya, Dr S Garba (Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics), Dr AA Yusuf (Department of Zoology), together with postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students.
