In this blog post, we feature an Interview with Dr. Simon Martina-Perez. Simon is the winner of the 2024 SMB H. D. Landahl Mathematical Biophysics Award for his exceptional contribution to the advancement and implementation of data-driven modelling approaches to study collective cell migration in the context of pathology, regeneration, and development. After receiving his DPhil (PhD) in Mathematical Biology from the University of Oxford, Simon has taken on a new challenge: training as a clinical doctor.
When did you first become interested in mathematics and biology?
Ever since I was in school, I’ve been fascinated by both mathematics and biology, although I never really considered that there might have been any sort of connection. I decided to study mathematics for my undergraduate and master’s degree because it was my favourite subject in school, and I was encouraged by my teachers and environment to pursue it. Studying mathematics was a great experience, and I loved the abstraction and the beauty inherent in the different areas of maths. Nevertheless, I always felt as though I was missing something concrete to apply maths to. During my master’s degree, I attended a seminar series on mathematical biology, and that was eye-opening. It inspired me to apply for a PhD with Prof Ruth Baker in Oxford, and it was a dream come true when I got offered the position.
Was the decision to do a Ph.D. an obvious and easy choice?
After having been exposed to some research in mathematical biology in the last year of my master’s, I was pretty sold on the idea of wanting to become a scientist and do a PhD. Going through the application process, I talked to a lot of people who shared their insights with me, which only strengthened my resolution!
What are the main biological research questions that you are interested in?
I currently have a very diverse range of interests, as reflected by my choice of switching careers and training to become a clinician. A unifying theme in my work is the use of data to make inferences about complex biological systems. During my PhD, I worked a lot on image analysis to infer the motile and interacting properties of collectively migrating cells and developing ways to map genetic perturbations and environmental cues (such as external electric fields) in influencing these. These days, I’m interested in integrating a variety of data, including multi-omics, to draw inferences about cell behaviour in different disease processes, such as cancer and renal disease. We are experiencing an explosion of quantitative data in medicine, which makes it an exciting time to build bridges between medicine and mathematics. I hope that in the years to come, I can bring a fresh insight into medical research and help to implement models in many places where they might be useful.
What makes you passionate about your work?
I’m really enjoying the ability to draw connections between various fields within biology, medicine and mathematics. It’s amazing to see the opportunities for mathematical modelling in the study of complicated disease processes and that this can yield real insights for experimental or clinical researchers. Being an early career researcher who’s gone back to school to study medicine, I’m amazed by the enthusiasm that so many people have in exploring these links and by the growing support and encouragement for interdisciplinary research and working together to solve some really complicated (and exciting) problems.
What do you like to do in your spare time outside of work?
In my spare time, I love to be active: I’m a keen rower and triathlete. Oxford has an incredible sports scene, and I’ve made some of my best friends through sports societies, which draw people from across the university departments.
Any advice for someone considering a career in mathematical biology?
As someone whose career trajectory is a little unconventional, I’d say that a PhD in mathematical biology was a great choice for me. I had always toyed with the idea of becoming a doctor at some point, but it was only when I worked in mathematical biology that I saw a way in which I could use my math skills within medicine. By requiring you to familiarise yourself with many different areas of mathematics and science, mathematical biology gives you the flexibility of adjusting your career paths according to your interests as you go along your doctoral studies. The friends and colleagues I have met during my PhD have pursued incredibly different directions toward or after the end of their doctorates, which is in no small part thanks to the flexibility that the field gives you to venture into novel and diverse disciplines. If you are considering mathematical biology, I’m sure that there will be lots of different problems that will interest you, and there is a great career to be made!