Workshop Title:

Computational Modeling of Complex System Dynamics

Date:

June 23rd, 2023 (GMT+1)

Organizer:

Surrey Space Center, University of Surrey

Keywords:

• Computational Science
• Agent-Based Modeling
• Agent-Based Simulation
• Tissue Biomechanics
• Computational Neuroscience

Workshop Chair:

Personal Bio:

Roman received his Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Computational Science and Engineering from ETH Zuerich, Switzerland. Afterwards, he did his doctoral studies at the Institute for Neuroinformatics (INI) at ETH Zürich and University of Zürich, working on simulations of cortical development. He then joined Newcastle University in September 2013 as a postdoctoral research associate and afterwards started his MRC fellowship project in September 2016 as an independent principal investigator. In June 2018 he took up an EPSRC UKRI Innovation Fellowship at the School of Computing and a joint affiliation with the Institute of Genetic Medicine, both at Newcastle University. In August 2020 he then became a lecturer at the Department of Computer Science, University of Surrey.

Workshop Description:

Background:

Computational simulation has become a fundamental pillar of the scientific method. Among other factors, the advances in computational resources in both hardware as well as software, have accelerated the adoption of computational methods to formulate models, establish hypotheses and generate experimentally verifiable predictions. In particular, complex systems that comprise large numbers of interacting elements are well-suited for computational approaches due to their often counter-intuitive behavior and the existence of large amounts of data from different modalities. Among other techniques, agent-based simulation has gained significant attention in recent years. This workshop will focus on research based on different computational approaches to better understand complex systems across a broad range of domains, including for instance neuroscience, oncology and biology.

Goal/Rationale:

Given the broad range of computational approaches in complex systems, we will look into different use cases and establish commonalities as well as differences between them. In these use cases, significant weight will be given to showcase the validation with real-world data, and explore the demands that the research community faces.

Specific focus will be made to showcase existing software, ideally of the open-source type. Moreover, the current overlap in employed techniques will be discussed and existing gaps as well as challenges will be explored, particularly with regards to the development and maintenance of relevant research software. Ultimately, the aim is to identify opportunities to advance and accelerate computational research on complex systems.

Scope and Information for participants

The scope of this research topic is broad and encompasses work where computational methods are employed to model and ultimately better understand biological systems. These biological systems can have for instance medical, technological, environmental or ecological relevance. Hence, specific themes could be for instance computational models of neural systems (e.g., artificial neural networks, neurodevelopmental simulations), cancer simulations or work on bacterial communities and bacterial communication (e.g., biofilms).

We expect the participants to consider relevance for different research communities, and formulate the research in a language that can be communicated within interdisciplinary settings. If potential participants are unsure about the suitability of their research topic/approach, they are encouraged to contact the organizers via compbiomodelling2023@gmail.com. More information will be made available in the near future on https://sites.google.com/view/cbm2023.

Highlights:

On June the 23rd 2023 the workshop "Computational Modeling of Complex System Dynamics" was held in Guildford at the University of Surrey (UK). The workshop was hosted by the COMBYNE lab (www.combynelab.com) and held as a hybrid meeting, to facilitate involvement of participants from many different countries such as UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. This international workshop comprised an eclectic selection of presentations and interactive talks on Computational Biology topics from leading academics and well-established domain experts. Over 20 participants were present, mostly academics and PhD students from institutions such as the University of Surrey, Cambridge University (UK), CERN (Switzerland), the SCImPULSE Foundation (Netherlands), the University of Cyprus and others. Members of the international BioDynaMo collaboration (www.biodynamo.org) also contributed to the workshop.

The workshop started off with an introductory seminar talk that touched on the challenges and prospects of computational modelling in biomedicine. Afterwards, a discussion among the participants elaborated on the relevant issues such as the curse of dimensionality with regards to model parameters, and the need for diversity in computational models. Other talks focussed on topics comprising various complex systems and their dynamics, such as for instance cancer growth, cancer therapy and the visual (neural) system. More information on the workshop including a programme can be found here: CBM23 (google.com).

Access to Workshop:

CONF-CDS 2023 Workshop -- Guildford - YouTube

Venue:

Stag Hill, University Campus, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom

VISA

Welcome to GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In order to ensure the information is correct and up to date, there may be changes which we are not aware of. And different countries have different rules for the visa application. It is always a good idea to check the latest regulations in your country. This page just gives some general information of the visa application.

UK Visa Information

What you need to do

• Check if what you plan to do in the UK is allowed as a Standard Visitor.
• Check you meet the eligibility requirements.
• Check if you need to apply for a visa to visit the UK.
• Apply for a Standard Visitor visa online - if you need one.

Check you meet the eligibility requirements
You must have a passport or travel document to enter the UK. It should be valid for the whole of your stay.

You must be able to show that:

• you'll leave the UK at the end of your visit
• you're able to support yourself and your dependants during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)
• you're able to pay for your return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)
• you'll not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home

Check if you need a visa to visit the UK

Depending on your nationality, you'll either:

• have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before you travel to the UK
• be able to visit the UK for up to 6 months without needing a visa

You can check if you need a visa before you apply.
If you do not need a visa, you must still meet the Standard Visitor eligibility requirements to visit the UK. You may be asked questions at the UK border about your eligibility and the activities you plan to do.