Topological Data Analysis for Genomics and Evolution

Biology has entered the age of Big Data. A technical revolution has transformed the field, and extracting meaningful information from large biological data sets is now a central methodological challenge. Algebraic topology is a well-established branch of pure mathematics that studies qualitative descriptors of the shape of geometric objects. It aims to reduce comparisons of shape to a comparison of algebraic invariants, such as numbers, which are typically easier to work with. Topological data analysis is a rapidly developing subfield that leverages the tools of algebraic topology to provide robust multiscale analysis of data sets. This book introduces the central ideas and techniques of topological data analysis and its specific applications to biology, including the evolution of viruses, bacteria and humans, genomics of cancer, and single cell characterization of developmental processes. Bridging two disciplines, the book is for researchers and graduate students in genomics and evolutionary biology as well as mathematicians interested in applied topology.

Author: Raul Rabadan,Andrew J. Blumberg
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 12/19/2019
Pages: 324
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.40lbs
Size: 9.80h x 6.70w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781107159549

Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2021

About the Author
Rabadan, Raul: - Raul Rabadan is a Professor at Columbia University, New York. He is Director of the Program for Mathematical Genomics at Columbia University, New York, and the NCI Physics and Oncology Center for Topology of Cancer Evolution and Heterogeneity. Dr Rabadan received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics in 2001 and went on to conduct research at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Switzerland, and at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Princeton, New Jersey. At Columbia University, he leads a highly interdisciplinary laboratory with researchers from the fields of mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, and medicine, with the common goal of solving biomedical problems through quantitative computational models.Blumberg, Andrew J.: - Andrew J. Blumberg is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Texas, Austin. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago under the supervision of Peter May and Michael Mandell, and was later a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, California. He also spent a year as a member at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Princeton, New Jersey. His pure mathematics research focuses primarily on homotopy theory and algebraic topology and his applied research focuses on the development of topological and geometric techniques for studying genomic data.