NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology Announces New Director to Lead the Institute
- NITMB
- Sep 9
- 3 min read
The NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) announced that Richard (Rich) Carthew, the Owen L. Coon Professor of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University, stepped down as the Director of NITMB on September 1st, 2025, and that Antonio (Tuca) Auffinger, Professor of Mathematics at Northwestern University, will serve as the new Director. NITMB extends a heartfelt thanks and very best wishes to Rich and warmly welcomes Tuca into his new role at the institute.
As NITMB’s inaugural director, Rich Carthew played a pivotal role in launching and shaping the Institute. His leadership helped bring to life new interdisciplinary collaborations that unite mathematics, biology, and data science across the country. “Rich’s vision shaped the Institute’s foundational programs, supported a thriving early-career community, and helped forge partnerships that are already driving new insights and discovery. We are grateful for his dedication, creativity, and impact,” said Eric Perreault, Vice President for Research at Northwestern University, and Erin Adams, Vice Provost for Research at the University of Chicago. "Rich has worked unceasingly to ensure NITMB's success not just during the Institute's initial two-year ramp-up period, but also during the intense two-year planning period that preceded it. So much of what the NITMB is and will become is beholden to Rich's leadership. We are also very much looking forward to the guidance and strategy that Tuca will bring to the directorship," said William L. Kath, NITMB Deputy Director of Broader Impacts and the Margaret B. Fuller Boos Professor of Applied Mathematics in the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University.
NITMB is thrilled to welcome Tuca to the Director’s role. A founding member of the NITMB leadership team, he brings a deep understanding of the Institute’s mission and great enthusiasm for what comes next. His expertise in probability, statistical physics, and cross-disciplinary collaboration — as well as his thoughtful approach to academic leadership — positions him well to guide NITMB into its next chapter. In this role, he will work closely with the faculty leadership from Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and Northeastern Illinois University. “Under Rich’s directorship, the NITMB has already achieved so much. I am honored to build upon the foundation he established.” said Tuca. “This moment also marks a significant transition for our Institute. With the initial ramp-up period now complete, we are poised to enter a new and exciting phase of growth and impact. I am confident that we will advance our research, training, and outreach missions to become the national hub for research at the interface of biology and mathematics.”
“Armed with new mathematics and novel quantitative approaches inspired by biology, we will deepen our scientific impact, expand external partnerships, and train the next generation of leaders to solve biology’s most ambitious challenges,” said Rebecca Willett, the NITMB Deputy Director for Research and the Worah Family Professor of Statistics and Computer Science in the Wallman Society of Fellows at the University of Chicago.
About NITMB
The National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) aims to integrate the disciplines of mathematics and biology to transform the practice of biological research and to inspire new mathematical discoveries. Through supporting research, training, scientific workshops, and programming, the NITMB carries out its mission: to create a nationwide collaborative research community that will generate new mathematical results and uncover the “rules of life” through theories, data-informed mathematical models, and computational and statistical tools. NITMB is funded by the National Science Foundation (DMS-2235451) and Simons Foundation (MP-TMPS-00005320) and is supported by a partnership between Northwestern University and The University of Chicago.
