Simulating Social Interaction of Bacterial Communities Using Agent-Based Models

Bacterial Communities, Mathematical Modeling, Agent Based Modeling

Research Mentor: Mohammad Nooranidoost,
Department, College, Affiliation: Mathematics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: mnooranidoost@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Scientific Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Biomathematics
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Thursday, September 7 from 3:00 to 3:30 pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/2640040713)

Project Description

This research project focuses on modeling the social interaction of bacterial communities using agent-based modeling. Multi-species bacterial populations engage in cooperative social behavior in which some are involved in producing public goods and some just consume the public goods without contributing to their production. This social interaction between bacterial strains determines their population dynamics and survival. In this project, we will employ agent-based modeling techniques, using relevant softwares and packages, to simulate this behavior of bacterial communities. We will then explore the influence of population density, resource availability, and spatial structure on bacterial communities' ecological and evolutionary dynamics.

Research Tasks: Literature review of relevant research studies, Mathematical modeling, Analysis and visualization of the simulations

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Calculus, Some experience in coding, Passion for modeling biological systems, Basic knowledge of biology