Christoph Schmal

Dr. Christoph Schmal is a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin. His research integrates bioinformatics, mathematical modeling, and computational simulations to investigate biological rhythms, focusing on circadian clock mechanisms, entrainment, and oscillator networks.

• Education: PhD in Physics (summa cum laude), Bielefeld University
• Current Position: Principal Investigator, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Berlin

Research interests include design principles of intracellular rhythm generation, coupling mechanisms in biological clocks, and applications of nonlinear dynamics to circadian systems. His work spans computational biology, systems biology, and interdisciplinary approaches to biological timekeeping.

Recent publications highlight his theoretical and data-driven studies on circadian amplitude-period relationships, redox rhythm robustness, and clock gene regulation in mammals and plants. He develops analytical tools like pyBOAT for biological time series.

• Scientific Awards
  • DFG Sachbeihilfe grants (2022, 2018)
  • JSPS BRIDGE (2020) and Postdoctoral Fellowships (2017)
  • Joachim Herz Stiftung Add-On Fellowship (2015)

Teaching activities include courses on Functional Genomics and Mathematical Modeling in Quantitative Biology. He works within the Institute for Theoretical Biology, leveraging spatial statistics and dynamical systems theory.