We are a dynamic research group led by Prof Cang Hui, a
SARChI
Chair in Mathematical and Theoretical Physical Biosciences. We work at the
interface between mathematics and biology. Our interests lie in proposing
models and theories for explaining emerging patterns in whole-organism biology,
namely ecology. Ecology studies biodiversity in its variety and complexity. As
ecological processes are highly complex and adaptive, we rely on the simplicity
of mathematical language to build models and theoretical frameworks. Nature
never fails to amaze us. Scientific research endeavours to measure natural
objects, quantify structures, and ultimately identify the mechanisms
governing these structures. Our research has thus focused on formulating and
modelling the complexity of biodiversity patterns and biotic interactions.
Besides mathematical ecology and modelling, our studies have spanned into
population ecology, community ecology, network ecology, evolutionary ecology,
macroecology and global change biology, as well as invasion
biology. See
Ecological and Evolutionary Modelling
(2018 Springer) for selected topics of our theoretical modelling, Invasion Dynamics
(2017 Oxford University Press) for our syntheses on hypotheses, models and theories of invasion
science, and Invading Ecological Networks (2022 Cambridge University Press) for “an atlas of possibilities” on the concept of open adaptive networks.
Physical address
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Merriman Avenue, Stellenbosch
Contact: Mrs JE (Hanlie) Swart | Office: 1018 | E-mail: jer@sun.ac.za | Tel: +27 (021) 808-4907 | BioMath Hub
