As someone who has been working in systems biology since before the term was even coined, I can be pretty critical of any nascent texts on the subject, now that academic biology departments are starting to give the field its proper due. But part of the problem in the field, all the way back to May and Morowitz, is that the obscure and esoteric mathematics of dynamical systems theory has been inaccessable to most classical biologists, let alone to the public. Fields such as bioinformatics have made clear the importance of mathematics and computational science to biology, but the world of modeling and simulation has remained on the edges of biology only until recently.
Most texts on systems biology have tended to focus on the mathematics without much more. Here is a book that tries something rather bold, to address the whole expanse of systems biology, with a minimalist mathematical approach, and a more a practical perspective on real world application. If you are a biologist looking for a first look at systems biology that does not assume you dream in Lyapunov exponents, this is the book for you. It is well illustrated with an almost historical context providing perspective on the field and just enough math to pique your interest without scaring you away. If you fancy yourself a Ramanujan, there are a number of great books that dive into the mathematical abyss with abandon, such as Armin Fuchs' text. But if you are new to the application of dynamical systems theory to biology and to mathematical and computational modeling of the same, then this is your "start here" users manual road map for the more partiuclar detail you will need once you are hooked. This is the perfect book for an introductory upper division undergraduate or preliminary graduate course in systems biology.
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Reviews with images
Truly expert material by a leader in the field
This is a truly phenomenal textbook. Great background, relevant examples, challenging problem sets. I wish I could have taken this course 20 years ago in graduate school. Not only is Dr. Voit an exceptional scientist, he is a dedicated teacher. You can see how he has adapted the text based on student feedback. As a fellow professor I am awestruck by the amount and quality of content in this book.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2020
Truly expert material by a leader in the field
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2020
This is a truly phenomenal textbook. Great background, relevant examples, challenging problem sets. I wish I could have taken this course 20 years ago in graduate school. Not only is Dr. Voit an exceptional scientist, he is a dedicated teacher. You can see how he has adapted the text based on student feedback. As a fellow professor I am awestruck by the amount and quality of content in this book.
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2020
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2013
Top reviews from other countries
Nico
best introduction to systems biology, for mathematicians and non
Reviewed in Italy on May 12, 2020Junaid
The long awaited introductory book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2012Qiqi
Broad but shallow overview of systems biology
Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2023Alessandro Nutini
A good first book on Systems Biology !
Reviewed in Italy on August 17, 2014