Jean Carlson

About

Jean Carlson is a Physics Professor and the Group Head at the Complex Systems group at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She leads research efforts in the field of complex systems, focusing on interdisciplinary approaches that integrate physics with biology, neuroscience, and other scientific domains. Her group includes graduate and undergraduate students working on topics such as network dynamics, sensorimotor integration, and the resilience of biological systems. Carlson collaborates with faculty across various departments and institutions, including experts in molecular biology, neuroscience, physics, and applied mathematics, reflecting a broad and integrative research agenda. The group also maintains strong connections with postdoctoral researchers and alumni who have gone on to prominent academic and research positions, indicating a vibrant and productive research environment under her leadership.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Biology
• Data science
• Psychology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Paleontology
• Zoology
• Computational biology
• Evolutionary biology
• Ecology

Selected publications

• Stochastic microbiome assembly depends on context

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2022 · 98 citations

  , interactions between bacteria can affect the microbiome assembly process, contributing to a baseline level of microbiome variability even among isogenic organisms that are identically reared, housed, and fed. In germ-free flies fed known combinations of bacterial species, we find that some species colonize more frequently than others even when fed at the same high concentration. We develop an ecological technique that infers the presence of interactions between bacterial species based on their…

  PublisherDOI

• A symbiotic physical niche in Drosophila melanogaster regulates stable association of a multi-species gut microbiota

  Nature Communications · 2023 · 75 citations

  The gut is continuously invaded by diverse bacteria from the diet and the environment, yet microbiome composition is relatively stable over time for host species ranging from mammals to insects, suggesting host-specific factors may selectively maintain key species of bacteria. To investigate host specificity, we used gnotobiotic Drosophila, microbial pulse-chase protocols, and microscopy to investigate the stability of different strains of bacteria in the fly gut. We show that a host-constructed…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dynamic community detection reveals transient reorganization of functional brain networks across a female menstrual cycle

  Network Neuroscience · 2020 · 64 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Sex steroid hormones have been shown to alter regional brain activity, but the extent to which they modulate connectivity within and between large-scale functional brain networks over time has yet to be characterized. Here, we applied dynamic community detection techniques to data from a highly sampled female with 30 consecutive days of brain imaging and venipuncture measurements to characterize changes in resting-state community structure across the menstrual cycle. Four stable functional commu…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Decoding collective communications using information theory tools

  Journal of The Royal Society Interface · 2020 · 42 citations

  , which can help identify causal interactions in the type of complex, dynamical patterns often on display when organisms act collectively. Yet, there is a communications gap between studies focused on the ecological constraints and solutions of collective action with those demonstrating the promise of IT tools in this arena. We attempt to bridge this divide through a series of ecologically motivated examples designed to illustrate the benefits and challenges of using IT tools to extract deeper i…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A gut commensal niche regulates stable association of a multispecies microbiota

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2021-09-30 · 21 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract The intestines of animals are typically colonized by a complex, relatively stable microbiota that influences health and fitness, but the underlying mechanisms of colonization remain poorly understood. As a typical animal, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is associated with a consistent set of commensal bacterial species, yet the reason for this consistency is unknown. Here, we use gnotobiotic flies, microscopy, and microbial pulse-chase protocols to show that a commensal niche ex…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Friction, Fatigue and Failure: a Multiscale Approach Linking Physics, Fabrication and Geophysical Phenomena

  NSF · $270k · 2006–2011

• Collaborative Research: Statistical Physics of Fault Behavior - Dynamic Friction, Strain Localization, Comminution, Heat Transfer, and Compaction

  NSF · $230k · 2014–2018

Frequent coauthors

• John C. Doyle

  Dublin City University

  33 shared

• Ahmed Elbanna

  University of Illinois System

  26 shared

• Eric W. Jones

  Simon Fraser University

  22 shared

• Chantal Nguyen

  21 shared

• Scott T. Grafton

  Hologic (Germany)

  19 shared

• Danielle S. Bassett

  McGill University

  19 shared

• Max A. Moritz

  19 shared

• Marco Morais

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  18 shared

Labs

• Complex SystemsPI

  This lab focuses on the study of complex systems, including network dynamics, microbiome network dynamics, and sensorimotor integration.

Similar researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara

• Kenneth S. Kosikh-120
• Miguel P. Ecksteinh-47
• Dennis Cleggh-44