Maria-Veronica Ciocanel
Assistant Professor of Mathematics

My research is in mathematical biology, in particular related to questions about protein transport in cells. Understanding how proteins move and organize inside cells is a fundamental question in cell biology, with implications to our knowledge of healthy cell function and proper organism development. I use mathematical modeling, analysis, and simulation to address questions about molecular-motor driven transport and protein filament organization. I use tools drawing from dynamical systems and partial differential equations, stochastic processes, and data analysis. I collaborate with experimental researchers on problems related to messenger RNA localization in oocytes, neurofilament transport in axons, actin-myosin protein interactions, and organization of filaments in neuronal dendrites. 

Up-to-date information about my research can be found here: https://services.math.duke.edu/~ciocanel/ .

Current Research Interests

I am currently interested in understanding how different motor proteins may lead to different filament organization inside cells, and in further developing agent-based models and topological data analysis techniques for complex time-series data from cell biology experiments and simulations. I am also developing models for understanding microtubule polarity mechanisms in neuronal development and data analysis measures for describing approximate symmetries in biological data.

I also support leveraging mathematics and computation to give insights into social justice issues, and work on projects related to transparent federal sentencing.

Office Hours

Fall 2021: By appointment.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Contact Information

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