Joshua E. S. Socolar, Associate Professor  

Joshua E. S. Socolar

Office Location: 096 Physics
Office Phone: (919) 660-2557
Email Address: socolar@phy.duke.edu
Web Page: http://www.phy.duke.edu/~socolar

Specialties:
Nonlinear dynamics and complex systems
Theoretical condensed matter physics
Biological physics

Education:
PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1987
BA, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, 1980

Research Categories: Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics; Nonlinear Dynamics; Systems Biology

Research Description: Prof. Socolar is interested in the principles that determine collective behavior in condensed matter and dynamical systems. His current research interests include:

  • Organization and function of complex dynamical networks, especially genetic regulatory networks;.
  • The spatial distribution of stresses granular materials (e.g. bins of sand, coal, pills, or grain) and jamming phenomena;
  • Controlling chaos, or understanding feedback mechanisms that can stabilize otherwise unstable ordered behavior in chaotic dynamical systems;
  • Quasicrystals, packing problems, and tiling theory.

Areas of Interest:
Theoretical condensed matter physics
Nonlinear dynamics and control theory
Statistical mechanics in nonequilibrium systems
Complex Boolean networks
Genetic regulatory networks
Aperiodic Tilings

Teaching (Spring 2010):

  • Physics 54l9r.02r, General physics ii -(lab/rec)
    Physics 047, Th 01:15 PM-03:15 PM
  • Physics 54l9r.05r, General physics ii -(lab/rec)
    Physics 047, Th 03:30 PM-05:30 PM
  • Physics 54l9r.08r, General physics ii -(lab/rec)
    Physics 150, F 03:30 PM-05:30 PM

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

  1. H. L. D. de S. Cavalcante, D. J. Gauthier, J. E. S. Socolar, R. Zhang, On the origin of chaos in autonomous Boolean networks, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, vol. 368 (January, 2010), pp. 495-513 [full]  [abs].
  2. R. Zhang, H. L. D. de S.Cavalcante, Z. Gao, D. J. Gauthier, J. E. S. Socolar, M. M. Adams and D. P. Lathrop, Boolean chaos, Physical Review E (Rapid Communications), vol. 80 (2009), pp. 045202(R) [PhysRevE.80.045202]  [abs].
  3. J. Norrell and J.E.S. Socolar, Boolean modeling of collective effects in complex networks, Physical Review E, vol. 79 (2009), pp. 061908 [GetabsServlet]  [abs].
  4. D.A. Orlando, C.Y. Lin, A. Bernard, J.Y. Wang, J.E.S. Socolar, E.S. Iversen, A.J. Hartemink, and S.B. Haase, Global control of cell-cycle transcription by coupled CDK and network oscillators, Nature (May 7, 2008) [html] .
  5. A.S. Ribeiro, S.A. Kauffman, J. Lloyd-Price, B. Samuelsson, J.E.S. Socolar, Mutual information in random Boolean models of regulatory networks, Physical Review E, vol. 77 (2008), pp. 011901 [GetabsServlet]  [abs].

Bio/Profile
For more information, see Prof. Socolar's Home Page.

Current Ph.D. Students   (Former Students)

Postdocs Mentored

  • Volkan Sevim (March, 2008 - present)  
  • Bjorn Samuelsson (November, 2005 - August 31, 2007)