Speaker: Dr Siv Sivaloganathan

Title: A Mathematical Odyssey: From Brain Biomechanics to Cancer Therapeutics

Abstract: In this talk, I will touch on some of the successes and obstacles encountered in the application of mathematics to the biomedical sciences. I hope to illustrate this with examples from hydrocephalus, tumorigenesis, and the utilization of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for cancer treatment. Mathematical models have proven instrumental in optimizing hydrocephalus treatments, and helped unveil some of the intricacies of tumor development and treatment response. Moreover, they continue to play a major role in the evolution of non-invasive HIFU as a strategy for cancer therapeutics. These examples underscore the profound impact of mathematical modeling in understanding physiological dysfunction and shaping effective interventions in clinical medicine.

About The Speaker: Dr. Siv Sivaloganathan is a Professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, and heads the Biomedical Research Group there. Since 2004, he is also the Director of the Centre for Mathematical Medicine at Fields Institute in Toronto. He obtained his PhD from Oxford University, and has extensively trained multiple PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in mathematical biology in past 25 years. His expertise is in the field of biomechanics and the development of mathematical models of clinical conditions and diseases using continuum mechanics. He has been Principal Investigator on a number of grants including NSERC Collaborative Health and Hospital for Sick Children Foundation.