Quantitative Biology

Biology at all scales has become a data-driven science, with large-scale datasets driving fields from population genomics to ecology. Practicing biologists have no choice but to use computational approaches, statistics, modeling, and other data science tools in their research. However, undergraduate biology education still primarily focuses on nonquantitative descriptions. This book provides students whose background is in biology with an introduction to modeling biological systems using mathematical, computational, and statistical tools. It is based on a series of hands-on analyses conducted with open-source tools that allow the students to discover for themselves emergent properties of biological systems that are not evident without using model-based approaches. The goal of this book is to provide a “turn-key” introductory quantitative biology course suitable for all biology students. The book provides the narrative for the analyses and discussions to be done in class, with support from the included website, slides, and test material.

Key Features

Written in an accessible, narrative style

Includes hands-on analyses with open-source tools

Integrates biology across spatial and temporal scales

Links to a course website with interactive tools

Brings biological education into the “data science” era

Each chapter includes a variety of exercises designed to actively engage the reader

Lecture slides and animations to cover the key arguments and derivations in each chapter, as well as example exam questions, are available for qualified instructors.