Michael Szafron

    Dr. Michael Szafron

    Assistant Professor

    Research areas


    • Monte Carlo simulations
    • Statistical methods associated with Monte Carlo data
    • Computational biomodelling of the structure/function of biopolymers
    • Statistical methods for the health sciences including survey data

    Current Research


    • Determining the Type II topoisomerase-DNA interaction mechanism via studies of lattice models
    • Determining the product distribution for a recombinase-DNA interaction mechanism via studies of lattice models

    Recent Grants and Awards


    • B. J. Davison, C. Gutwin, M. Szafron, and K. Visvanathan.  Profiling Prostate Cancer Patients’ Preferences to Facilitate Treatment Decision Making .  SHRF Establishment Grant.  April 2012 to March 2015.
    • P. Chilibeck, D. Candow, A. Baxter-Jones, S. Kontulainen, M. Szafron and G. Zello.  Ibuprofen supplementation after resistance training and its effects on bone in older woman.  Catalyst Grant: Drug Safety & Effectiveness in Underrepresented Population. CIHR.  October 2012 to September 2013.
    • B. J. Davison, C. Gutwin, K. Visvanathan, L. Holtslander, L. Raccine, and M. Szafron.  Profiling Patient Preferences to Facilitate Treatment Decision Making.  Canada’s Motorcycle Ride for DAD Prostate Cancer Research. September 2011 to August 2012. 

    Current Courses


    • PUBH 805.3: Biostatistics for Public Health
    • PUBH 804.3:  Foundations for Public Health
    • PUBH 898.3:  Biostatistics for Public Health II

    Select Publications


    • C. Soteros and M. Szafron.  Crossing-sign discrimination and knot-reduction for a lattice model of strand passage.  Biochemical Society Transactions.  (accepted January 8, 2013).
    • C. Soteros, K. Ishihara, K. Shimokawa, M. Szafron, and M. Vazquez. Signed unknotting number and knot chirality discrimination via strand passage. Statistical Physics and Topology of Polymers with Ramifications to Structure and Function of DNA and Proteins; Aug 2-6, 2010; YITP, Kyoto. Progress of Theoretical Physics Supplement.  191:78-95 (2011)
    • Szafron, M. L. and Soteros, C. E. The effect of juxtaposition angle on knot reduction in a lattice model of strand passage, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 44 (2011) 322001
    • Szafron, M. L. and Soteros, C. E. Knotting probabilities after a local strand passage in unknotted self-avoiding polygons, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 44 (2011) 245003