I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before coming to Illinois, I was a Simons Postdoctoral Fellow in Mathematical Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, working with Yoichiro Mori and Joshua Plotkin. I received a PhD in Applied and Computational Mathematics from Princeton University, where I was advised by Simon Levin.
My research primarily consists of using PDEs, dynamical systems, and stochastic processes to study the dynamics of populations. Recently, I have been focusing on models of multilevel selection and evolutionary game theory, as well as exploring collective behavior and pattern formation in ecological and social systems.
This year, I am helping to co-organize the Mathematical Biology Seminar at Illinois. I also help to co-organize the Midwest Mathematical Biology Seminar with Ning Wei from Purdue University.
Contact Info
Email: dbcoone2@illinois.edu
BlueSky: @danielcooney1.bsky.social
You can also find more about my papers on Google Scholar or ResearchGate.
Upcoming Activities
- January 4-7, 2026: Joint Mathematics Meetings, Washington, DC
- Speaking in AMS special session on “Stochastic Models in Biology”
- Speaking in AMS special session on “Mathematical Modeling of Complex Systems”
- April 18-19, 2026: AMS Central Sectional Meeting, North Dakota State University
- Co-organizing special session on “Mathematics Inspired by Biology” (with Artem Novozhilov)
- May 11-15, 2026: NITMB Workshop on “Evolutionary Games: Mathematical Theory and Biological Insights”
- Co-organized workshop with Olivia Chu, Alex McAvoy, and Joshua Plotkin