This month we are pleased to welcome new research fellow Arran Hodgkinson to the Translational Research Exchange @ Exeter. Find out more about Arran’s background and current research below, and check out more about the live seed corn project he is working on here.
With a background in Mathematical Physics, Arran is interested in applying mathematical techniques to the fields of biology and medicine, where many of the fundamental principles of action are yet to be understood. Arran studied for high Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Physics at Heriot-Watt University, where he gained an appreciation for the beauty and complexity of biology through applying his knowledge to studying the spatio-temporal coordination of calcium influx and insulin release in single pancreatic β-cells. He then moved on to study for a MSc in Mathematical Biology, at the University of Dundee, learning invaluable skills which he used to obtain a PhD in Mathematics, from the Université de Montpellier.
During his PhD, and beyond, Arran’s focus has been on using a combination of stochastic and deterministic partial differential equation models to study the correlated spatial, temporal, and biochemical dynamics of complex biologics populations, at multiple scales. He has a particular focus on the mechanics of resistance in various cancer and cell-based systems, although primarily in melanoma; the dynamics of indirect inter-cellular communication and coordination; and the epigenetic of developmental biology and cell differentiation. Having spent some time constructing mathematical models for use in the pharmaceutical sector, at Certara UK, Arran has an interest in all elements of health and disease from drug and formulation development through to disease pathophysiology and treatment strategy. Although a mathematical physicist by training, he primarily works alongside biologists and clinicians to analyse and inform experimentation and enjoys being challenged by new and unfamiliar problems in fundamental or applied sciences.
