Circadian rhythms underlie far more biological functions than just sleep and wake, but
measuring them experimentally is expensive and challenging to scale. Mechanistic mathematical models of circadian rhythms, developed over the last three decades, have recently begun to show promise for non-invasive tracking of rhythms outside the lab. Yet challenges arise when taking predictions from an abstract model to the pockets of users. In this talk, I'll discuss the potential and pitfalls of translating mechanistic human circadian models for real world applications, as well as what a future of new wearables and internet of things devices might mean. I'll also talk about how hybrid approaches, combining statistical methods with known physiology, may hold the key for making the most out of the scarce gold standard data for circadian biomarkers.
Walch is an applied math PhD, adjunct Research Investigator in the department of neurology
at the University of Michigan, and CEO of Arcascope, a start-up company focused on circadian rhythms algorithms. She was the sole developer of apps that have been downloaded more than half a million times. She's also co-editor on an upcoming volume about the mathematics of gerrymandering.