Dynamics and Feedback Control of Living Systems

In this course, students will explore feedback control mechanisms that living organisms (cells) implement to execute their function. In addition, students will learn the basics of re-engineering feedback control systems in order for cells to execute new decision making behaviors. The focus will be on molecular level feedback control mechanisms for single cells with mention of cooperative feedback control for multicellular coordination as time permits. We will incorporate principles from Systems Biology, Control and Dynamical Systems Theory with Numerical and Stochastic Simulation. Basic biological mechanisms will be reviewed within the course to provide context and conceptual understanding. Ultimately, students with interest in control theoretic applications will learn how to use notions from control theory to accurately reason about cellular behavior.