Biological Physics
The biological physics group seeks to understand the dynamics of biological systems arising from interactions at different scales and organizational levels. Specific areas of interest include the stochasticity of gene expression, the cellular functions arising from signal transduction and gene regulatory networks, the dynamics of neural networks that underlie stereotypical behaviors such as birdsong, how sensory information is stored as memory, and the stability of mutualistic ecological communities. These problems can seldom be solved by purely reductionist methods and they call for creative and interdisciplinary approaches.
Faculty
Theory: Computational models for birdsong experiments; modeling of neural mechanisms by which high-level mem- ories are coded; biophysically realistic models of rhythm gen- eration, seizures, and Parkinson’s disease; prototype feedback control systems; molecular-level interaction networks among genes and proteins; complex systems; statics and dynamics of ecological communities. Réka Albert, John Collins, Dezhe Z Jin.
Experiment: Neural organization of complex motor sequences; neural activity in functioning neural circuits. Lu Bai.
