Assistant Professor

Research Interests

Mathematical Biology and Applied Dynamical Systems

Research Description

My research involves studying evolutionary game theory and modeling biological and social systems, often using PDEs and dynamical systems. 

Additional Campus Affiliations

Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Affiliate, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

Recent Publications

Yao, T., Xu, C., & Cooney, D. B. (2026). Pattern Formation in Agent-Based and PDE Models for Evolutionary Games with Payoff-Driven Motion. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 88(4), Article 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-026-01595-6

Alexiou, K., & Cooney, D. B. (2025). Steady-State and Dynamical Behavior of a PDE Model of Multilevel Selection with Pairwise Group-Level Competition. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 87(7), Article 97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-025-01476-4

Cooney, D. B. (2025). Exploring the Evolution of Altruistic Punishment with a PDE Model of Cultural Multilevel Selection. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 87(4), Article 51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-025-01422-4

Benson, J., Bessonov, M., Burke, K., Cassani, S., Ciocanel, M. V., Cooney, D. B., & Volkening, A. (2023). How do classroom-turnover times depend on lecture-hall size? Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 20(5), 9179-9207. https://doi.org/10.3934/mbe.2023403

Cooney, D. B., Levin, S. A., Mori, Y., & Plotkin, J. B. (2023). Evolutionary dynamics within and among competing groups. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120(20), Article e2216186120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216186120

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