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 336 members. If you’re new, sign up here!
Job opportunities:
- A PhD position is available with Dr. Eder Zavala at University of Manchester (Details)
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Eder Zavala at University of Manchester (Details)
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Natalie Porat-Shliom at NIH/NCI (Microscopy)
- 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 February:
Pulsed stimuli enable p53 phase resetting to synchronize single cells and modulate cell fate
Speaker: Dr. Harish Venkatachalapathy (Batchelor Lab; UMN)
Date and Time: Feb 13 (Friday) at 11am Pacific Time / 2pm Eastern Time
Virtual Event on Zoom (Meeting ID: 927 8255 7024; Passcode: 198819)
Abstract:
Oscillatory p53 expression occurs in individual cells responding to DNA breaks. While the majority of cells exhibit the same qualitative response, quantitative features of the oscillations (e.g., amplitude or period) can be highly variable between cells, generating heterogeneity in downstream cell fate responses. Since heterogeneity can be detrimental to therapies based on DNA damage, methods to induce synchronization of p53 oscillations across cells in a population have the potential to generate more predictable responses to DNA-damaging treatments. Using mathematical modeling and time-lapse microscopy, we demonstrated that p53 oscillations can be synchronized through the phenomenon of phase resetting. Surprisingly, p53 oscillations were synchronized over a wider range of damage-induction frequencies than predicted computationally. Recapitulating the range of synchronizing frequencies required, non-intuitively, a less robust oscillator. We showed that p53 phase resetting altered the expression of downstream targets responsible for cell fate depending on target mRNA stability. This study demonstrates that p53 oscillations can be phase reset and highlights the potential of driving p53 dynamics to reduce cellular variability and synchronize cell fate responses to DNA damage.
Scheduled Sessions:
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) |
| Mar 6 | Neural heterogeneity controls computations in spiking neural networks | Dr. Richard Gast (Scripps Research) |
| 2026 | Microglia coordinate activity-dependent protein synthesis in neurons through metabolic coupling | Drew Adler (NYU) |
| 2026 | Neurophysiological principles of reward | Dr. Annie Park (Oxford University) |
| 2026 | Longitudinal monitoring of developmental plasticity in the mouse auditory cortex | Dr. Megan Kirchgessner (NYU) |
Past Events in 2026:
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) | Materials |
| Jan 20 | Microdomain Metabolism in Pacemaker Myocytes: The Ca2+ Clock Drives the ATP Clock | Dr. Manuel Munoz Camus (UC Davis) | Pubmed |
Past Events in 2025
Past Events in 2024
Past Events in 2023
Past Events in 2022