Colloquium – Dr. Kadelka

Speaker: Claus Kadelka
Title: From Regulatory Network Structure to Dynamics: Toward Mathematical Design Principles for Cells
Abstract: Cellular regulatory networks exhibit highly non-random structure, but how this structure shapes their dynamics remains poorly understood. I will describe a research program that combines large-scale analysis of published regulatory networks with mathematical theory to discover, explain, and generalize principles linking regulatory structure to dynamical behavior. Using Boolean networks as a primary modeling framework, I will discuss how features such as canalization, regulatory bias, and feedback structure influence long-term dynamics and robustness, including recent connections to permutation theory and number theory. I will conclude with ongoing work extending these ideas beyond Boolean and synchronous models and describe my longer-term goal of using mathematical design principles to infer and construct regulatory networks with desired dynamical features.