Dynamics Club
Launched in 2022, Dynamics Club is a UCLA-based forum for junior scientists to discuss nonlinear dynamics in biology and physiology. Starting from 2024, this is also the home for the Interoception Dynamics Affinity Group.
Our monthly seminars are mostly on Zoom, with hybrid access to in-person events. Campus visits are made possible by the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP), Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCBio) and Brain Research Institute (BRI).
Currently, we have 340 members. If you’re new, sign up here!
Job opportunities:
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Natalie Porat-Shliom at NIH/NCI (Microscopy)
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Catera Wilder at UCSF (Details)
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Paul François at Université de Montréal (Details)
Key References (PDFs are available online):
Modeling Life by Alan Garfinkel, Jane Shetsov and Yina Guo (Teaching Materials)
Dynamics Club in July:
Guest Lecture: Emerging roles of transcriptional condensates as temporal signal integrators
Speaker: Kirstin Meyer, PhD (Assistant Professor; Yale University)
Date and Time: TBA at 11am Pacific Time / 2pm Eastern Time
Virtual event on Zoom (Meeting ID: –; Passcode: –)
Abstract:
Transcription factors relay information from the external environment to gene regulatory networks that control cell physiology. To confer signalling specificity, robustness and coordination, these signalling networks use temporal communication codes, such as the amplitude,
duration or frequency of signals. Although much is known about how temporal information is encoded, a mechanistic understanding
of how gene regulatory networks decode signalling dynamics is lacking. Recent advances in our understanding of phase separation of transcriptional condensates provide new biophysical frameworks for both temporal encoding and decoding mechanisms. In this Perspective,
we summarize the mechanisms by which transcriptional condensates could enable temporal decoding through signal adaptation, memory
and persistence. We further outline methods to probe and manipulate dynamic communication codes of transcription factors and condensates to rationally control gene activation.
Scheduled Sessions:
Date | Topic | Speaker(s) |
Aug | Sleep microstructure organizes memory replay | Dr. Wenbo Tang (Cornell University) |
Aug 21 | Coordination and propagation of cell fate choice in neural circuit assembly | Dr. David Chen (Temple University) |
Sep | A mechanism for slow rhythms in coordinated pancreatic islet activity | Dr. Nicole Bruce (University of Tennessee) |
Oct | Self-organized tissue mechanics underlie embryonic regulation | Dr. Paolo Caldarelli (Caltech) |
Oct | Neurophysiological principles of reward | Dr. Annie Park (Oxford University) |
2025 | Robust and resource-optimal dynamic pattern formation of Min proteins in vivo | Michael Sandler (UCSD) |
2025 | Longitudinal monitoring of developmental plasticity in the mouse auditory cortex | Dr. Megan Kirchgessner (NYU) |
Past Events in 2025:
Date | Topic | Speaker(s) | Materials |
Jan 22 | Imaging cAMP Signaling Dynamics in the Heart: Exploring Sympathetic Responses in Real Time | Jessica Caldwell, PhD (UC Davis) | Pubmed |
Feb 7 | State-Dependent Taste Modulation: Mechanisms of Sodium Appetite and Tolerance | Yameng Zhang (Oka Lab; Caltech) | Pubmed |
Mar 5 | Cell signaling in “4D”: Dynamic p53 post-translational modifications regulate cell fate | Dan Lu, PhD (Harvard Medical School) | Pubmed |
Mar 20 | Exploring the developmental roles of glia in the heart | Sarah Light, PhD (Notre Dame) | Pubmed |
Apr 30 | Detecting patterns and disruptions in spontaneous physiological fluctuations in the kidney using MRI | Edwin Baldelomar, PhD (WashU) | Pubmed |
May 7 | Sleep is for brain cleaning: investigating drivers of the glymphatic system | Natalie Hauglund, PhD (Oxford) | Pubmed |
Jun 12 | Mechano-Electro-Chemical Coupling in Neuromodulation and Neuronal Injury | Casey Adam, DPhil (Purdue) | Link |
Past Events in 2024
Past Events in 2023
Past Events in 2022