Graham M. Donovan

Associate Professor (2021- )
Principal Investigator, Te Pūnaha Matatini (2023- )
Head of Applied Maths Unit (2018-2020)
Senior Lecturer (2013-2020)
Lecturer (2011-2012)
Department of Mathematics
University of Auckland
Building 303, office 221 (303.221)
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142
New Zealand
+64 9 923 8780
g.donovan@auckland.ac.nz

Postdoc, 2008-2010
Auckland Bioengineering Institute
University of Auckland
with M.H. Tawhai

PhD, 2008
MSc, 2005
Applied Mathematics
Northwestern University
with W.L. Kath

BSc, 2003
Mathematics
University of Washington

Current opportunities for students

Research projects are available for motivated and capable students at all levels. Some (though not all) projects are listed here. For more information and current projects please email me.

Research Students & Postdocs

Current students:
L. Ji, G. Robinson, D. Papappico, N. Petranovic, D. Reid

Former students:
K. O'Byrne (PhD), P. Cao (PhD), A. Rampadarath (PhD), A. Ibarra (PhD),
S. Su (MSc), B. Yu (MSc), M. Wu (MSc & BSc honours), L. Xiong (MMathMod),
E. Black (honours), Y. Pan (honours), J. Kang (BSc honours), D. Waters (BSc honours), N. Wright (BSc honours & summer), X. Lu (honours), E. Rahim (honours), Q. Su (honours), R. Li (honours), A. Kiddle (honours), N. Petranovic (honours)
H. Wiseman (summer research scholar), J. Dowie (summer research scholar), K. McEwan (summer research scholar), J. He (summer), T. Kritter (summer), M. Khmaladze (research student), M. Hawkins (summer), S. Zhang (summer), C. Brand (summer), T. Csizmadia (summer), A. Guo (summer), S. Fei (summer), M. Barber-Wilson (summer)

Former postdocs: B.J. Breen, K.E. Murphy, A.S. Purewal

Publications

Google Scholar citations
ResearcherID profile (slow to update)

† = student co-author

Some PDFs are linked below; for those that aren't, please feel free to email if you need a copy.

ERA Journal rankings are no longer available either via ARC or John Lamp's pages. However they are still available [here].

2024

63) CT Foo, ———, F Thien, D Langton and PB Noble, "Bronchial thermoplasty improves ventilation heterogeneity measured by functional respiratory imaging in severe asthma", Journal of Asthma and Allergy, to appear 2024.

2023

62) ———, "Pillars of Theoretical Biology: Airway stability and heterogeneity in the constricted lung", Journal of Theoretical Biology, to appear 2023. [link]

61) KCW Wang, JG Elliot, S Sejal, ———, AL James and PB Noble, "The airway smooth muscle layer is structurally abnormal in low birth weight infants – implications for obstructive disease", European Respiratory Journal, to appear 2023.

60) ———, "Which airways should we treat? Structure-function relationships and estimation of the singular input modes from the forward model alone", Mathematical Medicine & Biology, to appear 2023. [link]

59) PB Noble and ———, "If your patient with asthma wheezes when sitting or lying quietly, lung function testing may reveal small airway disease", European Respiratory Journal, to appear 2023. [link]

58) ———, KCW Wang, JG Elliot, AL James, and PB Noble, "Quantifying airway remodelling for research or clinical purposes – how should we normalize for airway size?", Respirology 2023. [link] [pdf]

57) AL James, ———, FHY Green, T Mauad, MJ Abramson, A Cairncross, PB Noble and JG Elliot, "Heterogeneity of airway smooth muscle remodelling in asthma", American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 207(4) 452-460, 2023. [link]

2022

56) ———, PB Noble and D Langton, "Therapeutic response to bronchial thermoplasty - toward feasibility of patient selection based on modelling predictions", Journal of Applied Physiology, 133(6):1341-1348, 2022. [link] [pdf]

55) ——— and Q Su, "Equation discovery from data: promise and pitfalls, from rabbits to Mars", New Zealand Journal of Mathematics, 53, 27-49 2022. [link] [pdf]

54) MJ Hackmann, JG Elliot, FHY Green, A Cairncross, B Cense, RA McLaughlin, D Langton, AL James, PB Noble and ———, "Requirements and limitations of imaging airway smooth muscle throughout the lung in vivo", Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 301:103884, 10.1016/j.resp.2022.103884, 2022. [link] [pdf]

53) ——— and C Brand, "Spatial early warning signals for tipping points using dynamic mode decomposition," Physica A, 596:127152, 10.1016/j.physa.2022.127152, 2022. [link] [pdf] n.b. there is a sign error in Eq (1), see corrigendum

52) KCW Wang, ———, S Saglani, T Mauad, AL James, JG Elliot and PB Noble, "Growth of the airway smooth muscle layer from late gestation to childhood is mediated initially by hypertrophy and subsequently hyperplasia", Respirology, 1-8, DOI: 10.1111/resp.14240, 2022. [link] [pdf]

2021

51b) ——— and PB Noble, "Size does not matter - airway interactions determine respiratory dys(function)", Journal of Applied Physiology, Last Word, 131:1849, 10.1152/japplphysiol.00781.2021, 2021. [link] [pdf]

51a) ——— and PB Noble, "Small airways vs large airways in asthma: time for a new perspective", Journal of Applied Physiology, Viewpoint, 131: 1839-1841 2021. [link] [pdf]

50) D. Langton, PB Noble, and ———, "Response of individual airways in vivo to bronchial thermoplasty", Journal of Applied Physiology, 130:1205-1213, 2021. [link] [pdf]

49) AK Rampadarath, and ———, "Mathematical modelling of lung function - what have we learnt and where to next?", Current Opinion in Physiology, 21:17-22, 2021. [pdf]

2020

48) ———, "Generalized distribution-moment approximation for kinetic theories of muscular contraction", Mathematical Biosciences, 329:108455, 2020. [link] [pdf]

47) D Langton, C Banks, P Noble, V Plummer, F Thien and ———, "The effect of bronchial thermoplasty on airway volume measured 12 months post procedure", ERJ open research, 6:00300-2020, 2020. [link]

46) KCW Wang, ———, AL James, and PB Noble, “Asthma: Pharmacological degradation of the airway smooth muscle layer”, The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 126:105818, September 2020. [link]

45) CD Pascoe, FHY Green, JG Elliot, AL James, PB Noble and ———, "Airway remodelling with spatial correlations: implications for asthma pathogenesis", Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 279:103469, 2020. [link] [pdf]

44) ———, D Langton and PB Noble, "Phenotype- and patient-specific modelling in asthma: bronchial thermoplasty and uncertainty quantification," Journal of Theoretical Biology, 501:110337, 2020. [link] [pdf]

43) ———, KCW Wang, D Shamsuddin, TS Mann, PJ Henry, AN Larcombe, and PB Noble, "Pharmacological ablation of the airway smooth muscle layer - mathematical predictions of functional improvement in asthma," Physiological Reports, 8:e14451, 2020. [link] [pdf]

42) N. Sanford, ——— and W.L. Kath, "Slip rates and slip modes in an actively mode-locked laser," SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 19(2) 1472-1495, 2020. [link] [pdf]

2019

41) D Langton, PB Noble, F Thien and ———, "Understanding the mechanism of bronchial thermoplasty using airway volume assessed by CT", European Respiratory Journal Open Research, ERJ Open Res 0:00272-2019, 2019. [link] [pdf]

40) JG Elliot, ———, KCW Wang, FHY Green, AL James and PB Noble, "Fatty Airways: Implications for Airway Disease", European Respiratory Journal, 54:1900857, 2019. [press (Telegraph)] [press (Gizmodo)] [press (AAAS)] [press (Daily Mail)] [press (ERS)]

39) PB Noble, D Kowlessur, AN Larcombe, ——— and KCW Wang, "Mechanical abnormalities of the airway wall in adult mice after intrauterine growth restriction", Frontiers in Physiology, Aug 2019, doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.01073. [link]

38) AK Rampadarath and ———, "An in silico study examining the role of airway smooth muscle dynamics and airway compliance on the rate of airway re-narrowing after deep inspiration", Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 271:103257 2019. [link]

37) ———, JG Elliot, FHY Green, AL James and PB Noble, "Reply to: Comment on “Unraveling a Clinical Paradox: Why Does Bronchial Thermoplasty Work in Asthma?", American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 61(5):661-663, 2019. [link]

36) ———, "Numerical discovery and continuation of points of infinitesimal homeostasis", Mathematical Biosciences, 211:62-67, 2019. [link] [pdf]

35) ———, JG Elliot, SR Boser, FHY Green, AL James and PB Noble, "Patient-specific targeted bronchial thermoplasty: predictions of improved outcomes with structure-guided treatment", Journal of Applied Physiology, 126(3):599-606, 2019. [link] [pdf]

2018

34) ———, "Biological version of Braess’ paradox arising from perturbed homeostasis", Phys Rev E, 98(6):1-7, 2018. [link] [pdf]

33) ———, JG Elliot, FHY Green, AL James, PB Noble, "Unravelling a clinical paradox - why does bronchial thermoplasty work in asthma?", American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 59(3):355-362, 2018. [link] [pdf]

32) AK Rampadarath and ———, "A Distribution-Moment Approximation for Coupled Dynamics of the Airway Wall and Airway Smooth Muscle," Biophysical Journal, 114(2):493-501, 2018. [link] [pdf]

2017

31) ———, "Inter-airway structural heterogeneity interacts with dynamic heterogeneity to determine lung function and flow patterns in both asthmatic and control simulated lungs," Journal of Theoretical Biology, 435:98-105, 2017. [link] [pdf]

30) KCW Wang, JS Morton, ST Davidge, AN Larcombe, AL James, ——— and PB Noble, "Increased heterogeneity of airway calibre in adult rats after hypoxia-induced intrauterine growth restriction," Respirology, doi: 10.1111/resp.13071, 2017. [link]

29) CD Pascoe, C Seow, T-L Hackett, P Paré, and ———, "Heterogeneity of airway dimensions in humans: a critical determinant of lung function in asthmatics and non-asthmatics", American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 312(3):L425-L431, 2017. [link] [pdf]

2016

28) ———, "Airway bistability is modulated by smooth muscle dynamics and length-tension characteristics," Biophysical Journal, 111:2327-2335, 2016. [link] [pdf]

27) ———, "Clustered ventilation defects and bilinear respiratory reactance in asthma," Journal of Theoretical Biology, 406:166–175, 2016. [link] [pdf]

26) ———, "Systems-level airway model of bronchoconstriction," WIREs Systems Biology and Medicine, 8: 459-467, 2016. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1349. [link]

25) ——— and G. Lythe, "T cell and reticular network co-dependence in HIV infection," Journal of Theoretical Biology, 395(21):211–220, 2016. [link] [pdf] [associated code]

2015

24) J. Dowie, T.K. Ansell, P.B. Noble, and ———, "Airway compliance and dynamics explain the apparent discrepancy in length adaptation between intact airways and smooth muscle strips," Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology, 220:25-32, 2016. [link] [pdf]

23) ———, "Dynamics and statistics of noise-like pulses in modelocked lasers," Physica D, 309:1-8, 2015. [link] [pdf]

22) B. Lan, L. Deng, ———, L. Chin, H. Syyong, L. Wang, J. Zhang, C. Pascoe, B. Norris, J. Liu, N. Swyngedouw, S. Banaem, P.D. Pare, and C.Y. Seow, "Force maintenance and myosin filament assembly regulated by Rho-kinase in airway smooth muscle," American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Vol. 308no. 1, L1-L10, 2015. [link]

21) ——— and T. Kritter, "Spatial pattern formation in the lung," Journal of Mathematical Biology, 70(5):1119-1149, 2015. [link] [pdf]

2014

20) C. Pascoe, ———, Y. Bossé, C.Y. Seow, and P.D. Pare, "Bronchoprotective Effect of Simulated Deep Inspirations in Tracheal Smooth Muscle," Journal of Applied Physiology, 117(12):1502-1513, 2014. [link]

19) P. Cao, X. Tan, ———, M.J. Sanderson and J. Sneyd, "A deterministic model predicts the properties of stochastic calcium oscillations in airway smooth muscle cells," PLOS Computational Biology, 10(8): e1003783. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003783, 2014. [link] [pdf]

18) ——— and M.H. Tawhai, "Phenotype, endotype and patient-specific computational modelling for optimal treatment design in asthma," Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models, 15:23-27, 2015. [link]

2013

17) P. Cao, ———, M. Falcke and J. Sneyd, "A stochastic model of calcium puffs based on single channel data," Biophysical Journal, 105(5):1133-1142, 2013. [pdf] [link]

16) ———, "Modelling airway smooth muscle passive length adaptation via thick filament length distributions", Journal of Theoretical Biology, 333:102-108, 2013. [pdf] [link]

2012

15) ——— , J. Sneyd and M.H. Tawhai, "The Importance of Synergy Between Deep Inspirations and Fluidization in Reversing Airway Closure", PLoS ONE 7(11): e48552. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048552, 2012. [pdf] [link]

14) B. Breen, ——— , J. Sneyd and M.H. Tawhai, "Quantifying parenchymal tethering in a finite element simulation of a human lung slice under bronchoconstriction", Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 183(2):85-90, 2012. [pdf] [link]

13) A.-M. Lauzon, J.H.T. Bates, ——— , M.H. Tawhai, J. Sneyd and M.J. Sanderson, "A multi-scale approach to airway hyperresponsiveness: from molecule to organ", Frontiers in Computational Physiology and Medicine, 3:191, 2012. [pdf] [link]

12) ——— and G. Lythe, "T-cell movement on the reticular network", Journal of Theoretical Biology, 295:59-67, 2012. [pdf]

2011

11) ——— and W.L. Kath, "An iterative stochastic method for simulating large deviations and rare events", SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, 71(3):903-924, 2011. [pdf]

10) M.H. Tawhai, A.R. Clark, ——— and K.S. Burrowes, "Computational modeling of airway and pulmonary vascular structure and function: development of a 'Lung Physiome?'", Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering, 39(4):319-336, 2011. [pdf]

9) ———, "Multiscale mathematical models of airway constriction and disease", Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 24(5):533-539, 2011. [pdf]

8) S.R. Bullimore, S. Siddiqui, ———, J.G. Martin, J. Sneyd, J.H.T. Bates and A-M. Lauzon, "Could an Increase in Airway Smooth Muscle Shortening Velocity Cause Airway Hyperresponsiveness?", American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 300(1):L121-L131, 2011. [pdf]

2010

7) ———, S.R. Bullimore, A.J. Elvin, M.H. Tawhai, J.H.T. Bates, A-M. Lauzon and J. Sneyd, "A continous-binding crosslinker model for passive airway smooth muscle," Biophysical Journal, 99(10):3164-3171, 2010. [pdf]

6) A.Z. Politi, ———, M.H. Tawhai, M.J. Sanderson, A-M. Lauzon, J.H.T. Bates and J. Sneyd, "A multiscale, spatially-distributed model of asthmatic airway hyper-responsiveness," Journal of Theoretical Biology, 266(4):614-624, 2010. [pdf]

5) ——— and M.H. Tawhai. "A simplified model of airway narrowing due to bronchial mucosal folding," Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 171(2):144-150, 2010. [pdf]

Conference proceedings

4) N. Broderick, M. Erkintalo, and ———. "Dynamics and statistics of noise-like pulses and Rogue Waves," Nonlinear Photonics, OSA, 2014. [link]

3) ——— and W.L. Kath, "Rare Event Simulation of the Performance of an Actively Mode-Locked Fiber Laser Model,", Photonic Applications Systems Technologies Conference, OSA, 2007. [link]

2) ———, W.L. Kath and E.T. Spiller, "Non-Gaussian Optical Field Statistics in a Long-Haul Soliton-Based DPSK Transmission System," Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, OSA, 2005. [link]

1) E.T. Spiller, ——— and W.L. Kath, "Direct Determination of Range Extension Due to Phase Conjugation in a Soliton-Based DPSK Transmission System," Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, OSA, 2005. [link]

Thesis

———, "Rare event simulation for lightwave systems using the cross-entropy method", Northwestern University, PhD thesis 2008. [pdf]




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