John Innes Centre

Prof Martin Howard

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Curriculum Vitae

  • 1990-1993 BA Physics (1st class) Merton College, Oxford University
  • 1993-1996 D. Phil Theoretical Physics, Oxford University
  • 1996-1998 Postdoctoral Fellow, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 1998-1999 Postdoctoral Fellow, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA
  • 1999-2001 Postdoctoral Fellow, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
  • 2001-2002 Postdoctoral Fellow, Leiden University, The Netherlands
  • 2002- Royal Society University Research Fellow
  • 2002-2007 Lecturer & Reader, Dept of Mathematics, Imperial College London
  • 2007- Project Leader, Dept of Systems Biology, John Innes Centre
  • 2007- Honorary Professor, School of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia

Martin Howard

Project Leader

Computational and Systems Biology

Contact details

Tel: +44 (0)1603 450892
martin.howard@bbsrc.ac.uk

Research interests

The Howard group mathematically models biological systems at a variety of scales ranging from subcellular up to the level of embryonic development. Our core interest is in uncovering complex dynamics even in systems with few components and apparently simple interactions. We are especially interested in systems exhibiting pattern-forming and/or stochastic effects. Recent topics studied include protein localisation inside bacteria, fluctuations in morphogen gradients, mechanisms of robust signal transduction and epigenetic dynamics. Our approach is highly interdisciplinary, and relies heavily on the techniques of statistical physics, as well as on close collaboration with experimental groups.

Recent Publications

Gerdes K., Howard M., Szardenings F. (2010)
Pushing and pulling in prokaryotic DNA segregation
Cell 141 (6) 927-942
DOI:doi:10.1016/j.cell.2010.05.033
He F., Saunders T. E., Wen Y., Cheung D., Jiao R., Rein Ten Wolde P., Howard M., Ma J. (2010)
Shaping a morphogen gradient for positional precision
Biophysical Journal 99 (3) 697-707
DOI:10.1016/j.bpj.2010.04.073
Erdmann T., Howard M., ten Wolde P. R. (2009)
Role of spatial averaging in the precision of gene expression patterns
Physical Review Letters 103 (25) 258101
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.258101
Howard M. (2009)
Cell division: experiments and modelling unite to resolve the middle
Current Biology 19 (2) R67-R69
DOI:doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.11.039
Ringgaard S., van Zon J., Howard M., Gerdes K. (2009)
Movement and equipositioning of plasmids by ParA filament disassembly
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106 (46) 19369-19374
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0908347106
Saunders T. E., Howard M. (2009)
Morphogen profiles can be optimized to buffer against noise
Physical Review E 80 (4) 041902
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.80.041902
Saunders T., Howard M. (2009)
When it pays to rush: interpreting morphogen gradients prior to steady-state
Physical Biology 6 (4) Article: 46020
DOI:10.1088/1478-3975/6/4/046020
van Zon J. S., Tzircotis G., Caron E., Howard M. (2009)
A mechanical bottleneck explains the variation in cup growth during FcgammaR phagocytosis
Molecular Systems Biology 5 Art: 298
DOI:10.1038/msb.2009.59
Tostevin F., Howard M. (2008)
Modeling the establishment of PAR protein polarity in the one-cell C. elegans embryo.
Biophysical Journal 95 (10) 4512-22
DOI:10.1529/biophysj.108.136416