The University's Mathematics department has built on its expertise in the area of mathematical biology with the appointment of Professor Sasha Panfilov - an internationally recognised scientist.
Originally from Russia, where he both studied and taught, Sasha has also spent two years at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA and he has come to Dundee from the Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Utrecht, Holland.
Although he was trained in theoretical physics, Sasha's research interests led him to work on mathematical modelling and simulation of biological problems. His main research interests are problems of wave propagation in excitable media and cardiac arrhythmias.
Such waves are a widespread phenomenon in biology and abnormal regimes of wave propagation (spiral waves) can cause serious problems and diseases, for example as ventricular fibrillation, which is the dominant immediate cause of death in the industrialised world. In America alone, sudden cardiac arrest kills approximately 350,000 people a year. This is a huge area of research and Sasha believes that, "Every small step is of great importance."
His own work in this direction focuses both on finding new basic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias, such as 3D scroll waves and spiral breakup, as well as on the development of a 'virtual heart' - a realistic computer based model of a human heart. The development of virtual organs and virtual hearts is, according to Professor Noble from Oxford University - an expert in this field - one of the most exciting problems of the emerging systems physiology of 21st century.
Sasha has an extensive list of publications featuring papers in top biological journals in the field and is also regularly invited to present talks at conferences on cardiac electrophysiology, applied mathematics and mathematical biology.
He said, "I’m really pleased to be here in Dundee and to have this great opportunity to further develop my own research. I hope to apply my models for detailed studies of mechanics of cardiac arrhythmias and development of new effective methods of fighting against sudden cardiac death."
Professor Panfilov is Chair of Mathematical Physiology.