Claudia Neuhauser
Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
HHMI and Distinguished McKnight University Professor
Director, Center for Learning Innovation
Director of Graduate Studies, Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology
University of Minnesota, Rochester
Ph.D., Cornell University, 1990
Contact Information
Phone: 507-281-7791
Fax: 507-280-2820
E-mail: neuha001@umn.edu
Graduate Faculty Memberships
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; Mathematics; Conservation Biology;
Bioinformatics; Stream Restoration Science and Engineering.
Research Interests
Theoretical ecology; role of space in community dynamics; theoretical population genetics; coalescent theory.
Statement
I am an applied mathematician. My research interests are in two areas of biology: ecology and genetics. In ecology, I study the role of space in community dynamics, and in genetics, how selection affects genealogies. These investigations are theoretical, relying on mathematical models, analytical methods, and partially on computer simulations.
Most ecological models of communities do not take into account that individuals interact with each other in a spatial environment. I investigate how space affects community dynamics.
To interpret population genetic data, genealogical or coalescent methods have proved extremely valuable. This method allows one to estimate population genetic paramenter, such as mutation rate. My research focuses on how selection shapes the genealogical tree of sampled genes. In addition, I am a participant in the University's Center of Community Genetics.
Graduate Training
"I am the Director of Graduate Studies of the Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB) graduate program. This is an interdisciplinary, all-University graduate program with faculty from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, University of Minnesota Rochester, IBM, and Mayo Clinic. The programmatic focus of the BICB graduate program is at the interface of quantitative sciences, medicine, and biology."
Undergraduate Training
When I joined the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota in 1996, I developed a calculus course for
biology majors (MATH 1281 and MATH 1282). This resulted in a text book, Calculus for Biology and Medicine (Prentice
Hall), which is now in its second edition. When I moved from Mathematics into EEB, I wanted to continue my educational efforts. With support from the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, I am now
developing ways to improve the quantitative training of biology majors by integrating mathematics and statistics
directly into biology courses.
Selected Publications
C. Neuhauser and S. Krone 1997. The Genealogy of Samples in Models with Selection. Genetics
145:519-534.
C. Neuhauser and S. Pacala 1999. An explicitly spatial version of the Lotka-Volterra model
with interspecific competition. Annals of Applied Probability 9:1226-1259
C. Neuhauser 2000. Mathematical Models in Population Genetics. In Handbook of Statistical
Genetics. Pp. 153-178. Wiley.
P. Chesson, S. Pacala, and C. Neuhauser 2002. Environmental niches and ecosystem functioning. In Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning. Pp. 213-245. Princeton.
C. Neuhauser, D.A. Andow, G. Heimpel, G. May, R. Shaw, and S. Wagenius 2003. Community
Genetics - A Synthesis of Community Ecology and Population Genetics. Ecology 84: 545-558.
N. Lanchier and C. Neuhauser. 2006. Stochastic spatial models of host-pathogen and host-mutualist interactions I. Annals of Applied Probability 16: 448-474.
N. Lanchier and C. Neuhauser. 2007. Voter model and biased voter model in heterogeneous environment. Journal of Applied Probability 44: 770-787."
Additional Links
Biocomplexity
IGERT Training Grant
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
|
Return
to: U of M Home
