Call for Papers "Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights"

PBMT is planning a special issue,  Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights. [Note: contributions to this special issue are by invitation from the issue editors only.]

Evolutionary game theory (EGT) offers a powerful modeling framework for analyzing frequency-dependent interactions in biological, social, and artificial systems. Originally adapted from economic models and applied to animal behavior, EGT has become a foundational tool for studying phenomena ranging from microbial competition and tumor progression to cultural dynamics and cooperative AI. The field's mathematical foundations have expanded over the years, incorporating tools from dynamical systems, probability theory, partial differential equations, and network science. This diverse modeling toolkit has enabled researchers to examine how social behaviors evolve in structured populations, how empirical data can inform game parameters, and how environmental feedbacks shape evolutionary dynamics. The purpose of this special feature is to gather insights and research arising from the workshop Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights at the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology held in Chicago in May 2026.

The editors of the special issue are Alex McAvoy (UNC), Joshua Plotkin (U Penn), Daniel B. Cooney (U Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and Olivia Chu (Bryn Mawr College).