One of 40 Recipients in 2015
Kre拧imir Josi膰, professor of mathematics at the 葫芦影业鈥檚 College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, is one of 40 U.S. and Canadian faculty awarded a 2015 Simons Fellowship in Mathematics. He is the only recipient from a Texas university.
Kre拧imir Josi膰For his fellowship, Josi膰 will spend the 2015-2016 academic year visiting the lab
of Matthew Bennett, a synthetic biologist at Rice University. Josi膰 will work on developing
mathematical models to guide the design of synthetic microbes.
鈥淎dvances in experimental techniques are leading to unprecedented insights into the workings of biological systems. At the same time, synthetic biologists are now able to design and control cellular machinery,鈥� Josi膰 said. 鈥淲e will need to develop new mathematical tools hand in hand with new experimental techniques to push this research further.鈥�
Josi膰 has an ongoing collaboration with Bennett. The two have worked jointly to engineer and model synthetic organisms that can compensate for changes in temperature and display preprogrammed dynamics. The team鈥檚 next goal is to engineer microbial populations that interact in controlled ways.
Through this sabbatical, Josi膰 will be able to participate closely in the experimental design and data analysis. 鈥淎 closer involvement with experiments will help me in the development of new mathematical models,鈥� he said.
The Simons Foundation鈥檚 Fellows Program provides funds for up to a semester-long research leave from classroom teaching and administrative obligations, making it easier to extend sabbatical leave by an extra half year. The Foundation鈥檚 program is designed to 鈥渋ncrease creative productivity and provide intellectual stimulation.鈥�
According to the Foundation鈥檚 website, the most important criterion for receiving a Simons Fellows award is the potential for research accomplishment, as judged by accomplishments over the last five years.
- Kathy Major, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics