The Department of Mathematics is an excellent place to study mathematical biology. Many of the mathematicians in the Department carry out research in both pure and applied mathematics. This enables them to carry the theorems of pure mathematics and the methods of applied mathematics to the solution of biological problems and facilitates the development of new mathematics inspired by biology. This breadth of expertise and purpose gives graduate students and undergraduates diverse opportunities to find faculty mentors that suit their interests and goals.
The research activities of the mathematical biology group are supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense. The educational activities of the Group are supported by a five-year Research Training Grant (RTG) from the National Science Foundation 2010-2015.
Duke's excellent Department of Biology has many faculty members with mathematics training who welcome collaborations with mathematicians. The School of Engineering houses an active Department of Biomedical Engineering and the NSF Center for Emerging Cardiovascular Technologies. Researchers in the Nicholas School of the Environment use mathematical methods for the solution of ecological and environmental problems. The biology department, the School of Engineering, and the Nicholas School of the Environment are housed in buildings adjacent to the Mathematics Department.
Duke University Medical Center, which has over 700 faculty members, is a five-minute walk from the Department of Mathematics. The Medical Center has eight basic science departments:
- Biochemistry
- Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
- Neurobiology
- Pathology
- Pharmacology and Cancer Biology