1 Herbert Daniel Landahl
is an American mathematical biophysicist who was born in Fancheng, China, on April 23, 1913. He
obtained with Magna Cum Laude his AB degree at St. Olaf College in 1934, and then
earned this SM in Physics at the University of Chicago in 1936. He then became very
interested in mathematical biophysics and was the world’s first PhD student to graduate in
Mathematical Biophysics at the University of Chicago in 1941 under the supervision of
Professor Nicolas Rashevsky, the Founder of Mathematical Biophysics and Mathematical
Biology.
1.1 Academic career
He worked at first as a Research assistant in the Psychometrics Laboratory at the University of
Chicago (1937-39), and transferred to change his research to the field of mathematical biophysics
as a Research Assistant in the Department of Physiology between 1939 and 1942. After graduation
in 1941 with a PhD in Mathematical Biophysics, he was able to continue as a Research Associate
of Professor Nicolas Rashevsky bewteen 1942 and 1945. He was then promoted in rapid succession
to a tenured track Assistant Professorship in 1945, and to a tenured position of Associate Professor
and full Professor of Mathematical Biology between 1948 and 1958. In 1945 he co-authored with
Scott Alston Householder a fundamental book on the ”Mathematical biophysics of the
central nervous system.” (The Principia Press, 1945). He became a full Professor of
Biophysics in 1964 and continued to work as full professor at the University of Chicago (UC)
until 1968 when he was lured by the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF)
after the former UC president declined to promote him to the Chair of the Committee
for Mathematical Biology as Nicolas Rashevsky’s successor upon the latter’s planned
retirement in 1969. As a result of the insuing disagreement between Rashevsky and the
UC president, Nicolas Rashevsky resigned from his UC position in 1968 and moved
to Ann Arbor in Michigan. Dr. Landahl took up his new position of full Professor of
Biophysics and Biomathematics in 1969 at UCSF where he became a Professor Emeritus in
1980.
1.2 Research Interests
Dr. Landahl’s research interests were, and are, focused on the dynamics of neural networks and the
central nervous system (CNS). He also studied the biophysics of cell division, biological
effects of radiation, population interactions in ecology, biological clocks and insulin
biosynthesis.
1.3 The Society for Mathematical Biology Leadership
Dr. Landahl cofounded with George Karreman and Anthony Bartholomay ”The Society for
Mathematical Biology” (SMB), and served as SMB’s first Vice-President between 1972 and 1982.
He also served between 1973 and 1981 as the Chief Editor of the Bulletin of Mathematical
Biology–the main journal of SMB.
1.4 Note
This entry is based in part on the content of a different GNU Licensed website entry by the
same author that may be subsequently even further modified, altered, or updated in its
contents.
