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University of York hosts international conference on viruses

Posted on 13 August 2014

World leaders working in virology will meet at the University of York next week to discuss recent developments in the field, theoretical challenges and new avenues for collaborative research.

Mathematical Virology 2014

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded Mathematical Virology workshop will bring together researchers from disciplines including Mathematics, Biophysics, Chemistry and Biology, to explore virus structure, virus assembly and maturation, viral evolution and applications in nanotechnology and drug design. 

Held at the Ron Cooke Hub from 18 to 22 August, the international conference has attracted keynote speakers from across Europe and the USA, and will be attended by high-profile researchers, early career researcher scientists and students. 

The event – the 10th anniversary of a workshop series that started in Oxford in 2004 – has been organised by Professor Reidun Twarock from the University of York and Professor Peter Stockley, from the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds. 

Running alongside the workshop will be an art exhibition inspired by virus structure by Dr Briony Thomas, of the Leeds School of Design, who is currently on sabbatical with the York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis (YCCSA). The exhibition will also feature artwork created in collaboration with the Twarock group and YCCSA summer students with support by the Centre for Chronic Diseases and Disorders (C2D2). It also includes an immersive movie ‘Walk into a virus’ in the Ron Cooke 3Sixty presentation suite, designed by an YCCSA summer student in 2013. 

Professor Twarock, from York’s Departments of Biology and Mathematics and the York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis, said: “The Mathematical Virology workshop provides a forum for the interdisciplinary community of modellers and experimentalists working in virology to meet and discuss open problems at the forefront of virology research.

“This interdisciplinary exchange is key in tackling these problems and paves the way for the design of novel antiviral strategies.”

The conference will also include a poster competition for students and post doctoral researchers.

For more information on Mathematical Virology 2014 at the University of York visit https://sites.google.com/a/york.ac.uk/mv2014/

Further information:

  • The University of York is committed to research into alleviating the world-wide burden of chronic diseases and disorders. With the support of the Wellcome Trust, the University has established the Centre for Chronic Diseases and Disorders (C2D2 - www.york.ac.uk/c2d2) to coordinate and maximise the impact of this key interdisciplinary field of research.
  • The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. www.epsrc.ac.uk
  • For further information on the University of York’s Department of Mathematics visit www.york.ac.uk/mathematics
  • For further information on the University of York’s Department of Biology visit www.york.ac.uk/biology 
  • Further information on the York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis at www.york.ac.uk/yccsa/

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