Mark McAuley - Computer Modelling for Nutritionists

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

This book is about computational modelling of nutrient focused biological systems. The book is aimed at students, researchers, and those with an interest in learning how to build a computational model. The book is the product of many years of teaching computational modelling to undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers with limited, or no background in computational modelling. What I learned from these experiences is those new to modelling are invariably apprehensive about it and approach it with a degree of trepidation, or even scepticism. However, from tentative initial steps, they quickly realize that modelling is not as challenging or as academically intimidating as they initially perceive it; and after gaining familiarity with the essential components of model building they rapidly become cognizant that it offers an alternative lens to view a biological system and learn new insights about its underlying dynamic behaviour.

In this book, I provide a practical introduction to modelling, for those who are interested in exploring the dynamics of nutrient-based systems. My rationale for undertaking this project is based on my experience of interacting with nutritionists in recent years. As a result of many fruitful discussions, I identified a growing need for a book of this nature, which is specifically tailored to nutritionists. My aims are to provide the reader with a solid grounding in computational modelling, and how it dovetails within the burgeoning field of systems biology. For the reader, this will involve learning how a model is assembled, what software tools are available for model building, what the different paradigms are for simulating a model, and how to analyse and interpret the output from in silico simulations. The only expectation I make of you, as a reader, is that you are enthusiastic about learning how to use new software tools. In exchange for your engagement, I will provide you with ample practical exercises, which will help to consolidate your learning and will make your computational modelling journey a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

I sincerely acknowledge Dr. Amy Morgan for proofreading this manuscript and for providing advice on the formatting of figures. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Bernard Corfe, at the University of Sheffield for providing me with the opportunity to teach computational modelling to his M.Sc. in Oncology students, for the last 5 years. These sessions helped to inform the development of much of the material used in this book. Finally, I would like to thank all the students and researchers I have taught computational modelling over the years. Your open-mindedness, enthusiasm, and feedback have been invaluable in shaping the content of this book.