Casey Diekman

University of Exeter Scholar Award, University of Exeter - Mathematical Biology

I am an Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. My research area is mathematical biology, with a focus on using mathematical modelling and computer simulation to understand how the brain generates the daily oscillations in physiology and behaviour known as circadian rhythms. My interest in this field began as a graduate student at the University of Michigan, when I was part of a team of mathematicians and biologists working together to test the counterintuitive predictions made by a mathematical model of circadian clock neurons. As a Fulbright Scholar, I will have the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research at the Living Systems Institute (LSI) and develop models of the complex interactions between the genes, proteins, and neuronal networks that constitute the mammalian circadian clock. The LSI is home to several leading experts in computational neuroscience and is an ideal setting for achieving breakthroughs in my research and forming new long-term international collaborations. As part of my Fulbright activities, I will also work with the Translational Research Exchange at Exeter to reach out to the public and communicate the relevance of this research to night shift work and ageing.