Department of Applied Physics

Description

Biophysics

Primary research interests are the dynamics of evolutionary processes. These include theoretical work on general issues and models in evolutionary dynamics, especially quantitative aspects, collaborations with experimental groups on laboratory evolution of microbes and on field studies of microbial diversity, improved methods for analysis of DNA sequence data to understand variations, and repertoire and dynamics of the immune system. Dynamics of cellular processes is also an active interest. Some collaborations with experimental neuroscience groups are being carried out.

Condensed Matter Physics

Research in theoretical condensed matter physics in recent years has included: dynamics of glasses, phase transitions and dynamics of quantum and classical disordered materials, and quantum dissipation in superconductors.

Courses Taught

• Physical Biology of Macromolecules
• Biology by the Numbers
• Stochastic and Nonlinear Dynamics
• Cellular Biophysics
• Randomness in the Physical World

Selected Publications

• High-Throughput Sequencing of the Zebrafish Antibody Repertoire
• Rate of Adaptation in Large Sexual Populations
• The Rate at Which Asexual Populations Cross Fitness Valleys
• Evolutionary Dynamics
• The Speed of Evolution and Maintenance of Variation in Asexual Populations
• Ordered Phosphorylation Governs Oscillation of a Three-Protein Circadian Clock
• Slide-and-cluster models for spindle assembly
• Superconductor-to-Metal Transitions in Dissipative Chains of Mesoscopic Grains and Nanowires
• Scenario for Spin Glass Phase with Infinitely Many States
• Jamming Percolation and Glass Transitions in Lattice Models