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Short answer
Mathematical biology is research that uses mathematical models and methods to understand biological systems, and that uses biological questions to drive new mathematics. The Society for Mathematical Biology describes its field as research and teaching at “the interface between the mathematical and biological sciences.” It spans scales from molecules to ecosystems and is funded in the United States through dedicated National Science Foundation (NSF) programs.
Definition and scope
Mathematical biology (also called mathematical and theoretical biology) is defined by its method rather than by a single biological subject. A mathematical biologist writes down a hypothesis about how a biological system works as equations or algorithms, analyses or simulates it, and compares the result with observation. The field sits between pure mathematics, which supplies the tools, and experimental biology, which supplies the questions and data.
Two sources help fix its boundaries:
- The Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB) states its mission as growing and sharing research and teaching at the interface of the mathematical and biological sciences. SMB gives 1973 as its founding year, publishes the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, and organises special-interest subgroups including oncology, epidemiology, neuroscience and pharmacometrics (smb.org, read 2026-11-08).
- NSF’s Emerging Mathematics in Biology (eMB) solicitation, NSF 25-509, described the area as “truly integrative research projects in mathematical biology” ranging from the molecular scale to ecosystem and evolutionary scales, including the mathematical foundations of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The solicitation page is archived and has no active deadline (nsf.gov, read 2026-11-08).
How it is used in practice
The working pattern in the field is a loop between model and experiment. A model formalises assumptions, produces predictions that an experiment can test, and exposes which parameters or mechanisms are poorly constrained. Experimental results then revise the model. Because the work is organised around this loop, projects are typically run by mixed teams of mathematicians, statisticians and biologists, which is also how funders frame it: NSF directs “innovative mathematical approaches from interdisciplinary teams” to its Mathematical Biology program, with a target submission date of the second Tuesday in October (nsf.gov eMB page, updated 2026-08-19, read 2026-11-08).
Model families and the questions they address
There is no single official taxonomy. The groupings below follow the structure of the Wikipedia article “Mathematical and theoretical biology”, which is a secondary overview and is used here only to name the families; the SMB subgroups named above show where the community itself organises.
- Population dynamics and epidemiology. How the size or structure of a population, or the spread of an infection, changes over time. Epidemiology is also an SMB subgroup.
- Evolution and genetics. Population genetics, phylogenetics and evolutionary game theory.
- Dynamical systems. Ordinary differential equations, difference equations and Markov-type processes applied to biological state changes.
- Spatial pattern formation. Reaction-diffusion systems, including Turing-type models of how patterns arise in tissue.
- Cellular and molecular biology. Enzyme kinetics, the cell cycle and cancer biology. Oncology is an SMB subgroup.
- Physiology and neuroscience. Organ-level and neural systems. Neuroscience and pharmacometrics are SMB subgroups.
For modelling of whole interacting networks inside cells and organisms, see the separate guide What Is Systems Biology?. For the population-and-environment side, see What Is Ecology?. For physical mechanics of living tissue, see What Is Biomechanics?.
Where it matters for labs, funders and research offices
Funding in the United States
The NSF pages read on 2026-11-08 show two relevant routes:
| Route | What the page states | Status when read |
|---|---|---|
| Emerging Mathematics in Biology (eMB), NSF 25-509 | Supports integrative research in mathematical biology; similar projects are directed to NSF’s Mathematical Biology program | Archived; no active deadline |
| NSF Mathematical Biology program | Target submission date is the second Tuesday in October | Stated on the eMB page, updated 2026-08-19 |
| Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research at the Interface of the Biological and Mathematical Sciences (NSF 22-600) | Funds mathematics and statistics research needed to answer questions in the biological and biomedical sciences. Track 1: exploratory or new-team projects, up to $600,000 over 3 years. Track 2: larger established teams, up to $1,200,000 over 3-4 years. 2027 window: September 1 to September 20, 2027 | Listed with future deadlines; page updated 2026-10-05 |
The Joint DMS/NIGMS page lists a different end date for later years than for 2027, so check the current solicitation before planning a submission. Research offices should treat the figures above as a snapshot of the page on the date read.
Publishing and community
The Bulletin of Mathematical Biology is the journal SMB lists on its site, and SMB’s annual meeting is the field’s main society gathering; the next one is listed for 28 June to 2 July 2027 at San Diego State University (smb.org, read 2026-11-08). Researchers in adjacent areas can also look at Bioinformatics Python for the computational side of biological data work and the Society for Epidemiologic Research for the population-health community.
Common misunderstandings
- “It is the same as bioinformatics or computational biology.” Bioinformatics centres on processing and analysing biological data. Mathematical biology centres on constructing and analysing models of mechanism, though the two overlap in practice.
- “It is the same as systems biology.” Systems biology is organised around studying biological systems as integrated networks; mathematical biology is defined by its mathematical methods and covers topics, such as population dynamics and evolutionary theory, that fall outside that framing.
- “It is only applied mathematics.” NSF describes the projects it funds as integrative and as advancing mathematical theory as well as solving biological problems, so the flow of ideas goes both ways.
- “It is a wet-lab discipline.” The core work is theoretical and computational, but the field’s own framing depends on collaboration with experimental biology.
FAQ
What is mathematical biology?
It is the use of mathematical models and analysis to study biological systems, and the use of biological problems to develop new mathematics. The Society for Mathematical Biology frames it as the interface between the mathematical and biological sciences.
Who funds mathematical biology in the US?
NSF operates a Mathematical Biology program and, with NIGMS, the Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative at the interface of the biological and mathematical sciences. Details and dates are in the table above and change with each solicitation.
Where is mathematical biology published?
The Society for Mathematical Biology lists the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology as its journal. Work also appears in general biology, mathematics and subject-specific journals.
Sources
- Society for Mathematical Biology, smb.org, read 2026-11-08.
- National Science Foundation, Emerging Mathematics in Biology (eMB), NSF 25-509, page updated 2026-08-19, read 2026-11-08.
- National Science Foundation, Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research at the Interface of the Biological and Mathematical Sciences, NSF 22-600, page updated 2026-10-05, read 2026-11-08.
- Wikipedia, Mathematical and theoretical biology (secondary overview, used for family names only).
