MACSYS proudly partnered with EMBL Australia for the 2025 edition of its flagship PhD training program, serving as a course sponsor for the prestigious two-week residential event held in December. More than 60 high-achieving students from diverse research fields across Australia gathered at the South Australian Immunogenomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI) in Adelaide for this immersive experience.

As part of the program, MACSYS researchers led two dedicated teaching days, introducing participants to the Centre’s ambitious mission of modelling an entire cell.

“Our goal was to provide an introduction to the concepts and methodologies driving MACSYS’ efforts to model a whole cell,” explained Professor Eduardo Eyras, Chief Investigator at ANU and EMBL-Australia Group Leader.

The first day focused on mathematical modelling in biological networks, offering students – particularly those from wet-lab backgrounds – a fresh perspective on computational approaches.

“I wanted to demonstrate how models can serve as powerful tools that complement experimental work,” noted Professor Lan Nguyen, Chief Investigator at Monash University and leader of the Computational Systems Oncology Program at SAiGENCI.

The second day shifted to data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, highlighting how these techniques intersect with biological research.

“By presenting these approaches together, we hoped students would see the potential for integrating them in cell biology and beyond,” added Eduardo.

With participants spanning both wet and dry lab disciplines, MACSYS emphasised the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

“This was an opportunity to train the next generation of talent,” said Professor Nguyen. “We want them to adopt an open mindset, one that enables them to step beyond their immediate expertise and engage with the language of researchers on the other side of the wet-dry divide.”

Among the MACSYS speakers was Dr Lucy Ham, a Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne. Transitioning from a pure mathematics background to computational biology, she shared her unique perspective on interdisciplinary research.

“It was incredibly rewarding to speak with these students and show that moving between disciplines is possible,” reflected Lucy. “For those with a biology focus, I hope it sparks curiosity about modelling and how they might incorporate it into their work.”

The EMBL Australia organisers praised the MACSYS contribution, noting that the two teaching days aligned perfectly with the program’s mission to give students a head start in their scientific careers.

“Our collaboration with MACSYS for this year’s course exemplifies a shared commitment to developing Australia’s next generation of life science leaders – across states, disciplines and institutions,” said EMBL Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Annette Wittmann. “We thank MACSYS for sharing their expertise in mathematical modelling and computational biology and for the great enthusiasm and energy. We look forward to working together in the future!”

The MACSYS teaching team also included Chief Investigator Professor Richi Nayak (QUT), Research Fellow Dr Anthony Hart (Monash University), and Research Fellow Ke Ding (ANU).

Feature image (L-R): Anthony Hart, Lan Nguyen, Eduardo Eyras, Lucy Ham, Puning Wang (PhD Student), Ke Ding.