Published at Jun 23, 2026
Author: Marvin van Aalst
We are pleased to announce our latest publication, a Community Page in PLOS Biology on how web-based platforms can bring experimentalists and computational modelers together during the earliest, most exploratory stages of model development.
Interdisciplinary consortia often struggle to collaborate on models: modelers work with code and finished results, while experimentalists are left waiting until a model is “done” before they can engage with it. We argue that browser-based, interactive prototypes can close this gap by letting the whole team explore and shape a model as it evolves, rather than only after the fact.
Based on our own experience, we propose four design principles for such platforms: transparency (variables, parameters, and equations should be readable by non-modelers, not hidden in a black box), immediate responsiveness (low-latency calculation and a responsive interface for dynamic exploration), accessibility (no local installs, dependencies, or coding knowledge required), and support for asynchronous iteration (parameter variation and model fitting that consortium members can explore independently between meetings).
We illustrate these principles with two platforms developed in our lab: mxlweb, which runs ODE models for microbial community research directly in the browser, and ModelXplorer, which supports ODE model editing, data import, and fitting for photosynthesis research. Our central takeaway: a platform that experimentalists actually use, even in a limited way, contributes more to a collaboration than a feature-rich system that stays in the hands of modelers alone.
Authors: Marvin van Aalst, Alienor Lahlou, Tanvir Hassan, William Gaultier, David Colliaux, Anna Matuszyńska
Journal: PLOS Biology (2026)
Link: article