Speaker
Description
Workshops embedded within biologically focused conferences can be effective ways to bring new people into mathematical biology. They create accessible entry points for experimentalists, field biologists, and early-career researchers to learn modeling, while also giving mathematicians a chance to teach, build collaborations, and connect with real data and systems. In this talk, we share our experiences designing and running hands-on modeling workshops alongside domain-specific meetings, including one at the Global Amphibian and Reptile Disease (GARD) Conference and a recent workshop held just prior to the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) 2026 conference. These particular workshops focus on approachable introductions to dynamical systems and epidemiological modeling, with a mix of short lectures and guided coding activities centered on simulation, parameterization, and working with data. We’ll also point to a growing set of publicly available resources, including curricula, code, and organizational tools, that make it much easier to develop and run these kinds of workshops. Overall, we highlight how these efforts can spark new collaborations, lower barriers to entry, and create meaningful connections between mathematical and biological communities.
