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  1. Home
  2. …
  3. People
  4. Academics
  5. Dr Robert Noble
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photo of Robert Noble

Dr Robert Noble

Lecturer in Mathematics

School of Science & Technology Department of Mathematics

Contact details

  • +44 (0)20 7040 5158
  • robert.noble@city.ac.uk
  • @robjohnnoble

Address

Dr Robert Noble E231 , Drysdale Building [E]
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

Personal links

  • Google Scholar
  • Personal website
  • About
  • Research
  • Publications

About

Overview

Dr Robert Noble uses mathematical and computational models to investigate the evolution and ecology of cancer, in collaboration with experimental biologists and clinicians.

Dr Noble obtained a DPhil in Zoology from the University of Oxford in 2014, with a thesis on mathematical modelling of infectious disease. He then held postdoctoral research positions in mathematical oncology at the Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (2014-2017), ETH Zurich (2017-2020), and the University of Zurich (2018-2020). He joined City as a lecturer in July 2020.

Qualifications

  • DPhil, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, Oct 2009 – Jan 2014
  • MMath, University of York, United Kingdom, Oct 1999 – Jul 2003

Employment

  • Lecturer in Applied Mathematics, City, University London, Jul 2020 – present
  • Postdoctoral researcher, University of Zurich, May 2018 – Jun 2020
  • Postdoctoral researcher, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Feb 2017 – Jun 2020
  • Postdoctoral researcher, Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier, Jan 2014 – Jan 2017

Research students

Kimberley Verity

Attendance: Oct 2022 – Sep 2025, full-time

Thesis title: Mathematical theory of tumour evolutionary modes

Role: 1st Supervisor

Blair Colyer

Attendance: Jul 2021 – Jun 2024, full-time

Thesis title: Mathematical models of cancer adaptive therapy

Role: 1st Supervisor

Veselin Manojlovic

Attendance: Sep 2020 – Sep 2023, full-time

Thesis title: The evolution of cancer risk and progression

Role: 1st Supervisor

Publications

Publications by category

Conference papers and proceedings (2)

  • Isabelle, P.L.O., Tisserand, A., Noble, R., Dagher, T., Maslah, N., Mosca, M. … Vainchenker, W. (2020). INVESTIGATING THE MECHANISMS OF IFNALPHA THERAPY IN JAK2V617F AND CALR MUTATED MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASMS.
  • Tisserand, A., Noble, R., Mosca, M., Marzac, C., Vertenoeil, G., Campario, H. … Plo, I. (2019). Predicting the Long-Term Efficacy of Ifnα in JAK2V617F and Calr-Mutated MPN Patients. doi:10.1182/blood-2019-127903

Journal articles (19)

  • West, J., Adler, F., Gallaher, J., Strobl, M., Brady-Nicholls, R., Brown, J. … Anderson, A.R.A. (2023). A survey of open questions in adaptive therapy: Bridging mathematics and clinical translation. eLife, 12. doi:10.7554/elife.84263.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Lemant, J., Le Sueur, C., Manojlović, V. and Noble, R. (2022). Robust, Universal Tree Balance Indices. Systematic Biology, 71(5), pp. 1210–1224. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syac027.
  • Noble, R., Burri, D., Le Sueur, C., Lemant, J., Viossat, Y., Kather, J.N. … Beerenwinkel, N. (2021). Spatial structure governs the mode of tumour evolution. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(2), pp. 207–217. doi:10.1038/s41559-021-01615-9.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Mosca, M., Hermange, G., Tisserand, A., Noble, R., Marzac, C., Marty, C. … Plo, I. (2021). Inferring the dynamics of mutated hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells induced by IFNα in myeloproliferative neoplasms. Blood, 138(22), pp. 2231–2243. doi:10.1182/blood.2021010986.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Kuosmanen, T., Cairns, J., Noble, R., Beerenwinkel, N., Mononen, T. and Mustonen, V. (2021). Drug-induced resistance evolution necessitates less aggressive treatment. PLOS Computational Biology, 17(9). doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009418.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Noble, R.J., Walther, V., Roumestand, C., Hochberg, M.E., Hibner, U. and Lassus, P. (2021). Paracrine Behaviors Arbitrate Parasite-Like Interactions Between Tumor Subclones. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9. doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.675638.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Viossat, Y. and Noble, R. (2021). A theoretical analysis of tumour containment. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5(6), pp. 826–835. doi:10.1038/s41559-021-01428-w.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Dujon, A.M., Aktipis, A., Alix‐Panabières, C., Amend, S.R., Boddy, A.M., Brown, J.S. … Ujvari, B. (2021). Identifying key questions in the ecology and evolution of cancer. Evolutionary Applications, 14(4), pp. 877–892. doi:10.1111/eva.13190.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Noble, R., Burley, J.T., Le Sueur, C. and Hochberg, M.E. (2020). When, why and how tumour clonal diversity predicts survival. Evolutionary Applications, 13(7), pp. 1558–1568. doi:10.1111/eva.13057.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Bacevic, K., Noble, R., Soffar, A., Wael Ammar, O., Boszonyik, B., Prieto, S. … Fisher, D. (2017). Spatial competition constrains resistance to targeted cancer therapy. Nature Communications, 8(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-017-01516-1.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Hochberg, M.E. and Noble, R.J. (2017). A framework for how environment contributes to cancer risk. Ecology Letters, 20(2), pp. 117–134. doi:10.1111/ele.12726.
  • Vasse, M., Noble, R.J., Akhmetzhanov, A.R., Torres-Barceló, C., Gurney, J., Benateau, S. … Hochberg, M.E. (2017). Antibiotic stress selects against cooperation in the pathogenic bacterium
    Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(3), pp. 546–551. doi:10.1073/pnas.1612522114.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Hochberg, M.E., Noble, R.J. and Braude, S. (2016). A Hypothesis to Explain Cancers in Confined Colonies of Naked Mole Rats. . doi:10.1101/079012.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Noble, R., Kaltz, O., Nunney, L. and Hochberg, M.E. (2016). Overestimating the role of environment in cancers. Cancer Prevention Research, 9(10), pp. 773–776. doi:10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-16-0126.
  • Noble, R., Kaltz, O. and Hochberg, M.E. (2015). Peto's paradox and human cancers. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1673), pp. 20150104–20150104. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0104.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Noble, R., Kaltz, O. and Hochberg, M.E. (2015). Statistical interpretations and new findings on Variation in Cancer Risk
    Among Tissues.
    .
  • Noble, R., Christodoulou, Z., Kyes, S., Pinches, R., Newbold, C.I. and Recker, M. (2013). The antigenic switching network of Plasmodium falciparum and its implications for the immuno-epidemiology of malaria. eLife, 2. doi:10.7554/elife.01074.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Noble, R. and Recker, M. (2012). A Statistically Rigorous Method for Determining Antigenic Switching Networks. PLoS ONE, 7(6). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039335.

    [publisher’s website]

  • Fastman, Y., Noble, R., Recker, M. and Dzikowski, R. (2012). Erasing the Epigenetic Memory and Beginning to Switch—The Onset of Antigenic Switching of var Genes in Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS ONE, 7(3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0034168.

    [publisher’s website]

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