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 October:
Self-organized tissue mechanics underlie embryonic regulation
Speaker: Dr. Paolo Caldarelli (Caltech)
Date and Time: October 27 (Monday) at 9am Pacific Time / 12noon Eastern Time / 5pm Central European Time
Virtual Event on Zoom (Meeting ID: 987 1110 7169; Passcode: 197917)
Abstract:
Early amniote development is highly self-organized, capable of adapting to interference through local and long-range cell–cell interactions. This process, called embryonic regulation, has been well illustrated in experiments on avian embryos, in which subdividing the epiblast disk into different parts not only redirects cell fates to eventually form a complete and well-proportioned embryo at its original location, but also leads to the self-organization of additional, fully formed embryos in the other separated parts. The cellular interactions underlying embryonic self-organization are widely believed to be mediated by molecular signals, yet the identity of such signals is unclear. Here, by analysing intact and mechanically perturbed quail embryos, we show that the mechanical forces that drive embryogenesis self-organize, with
contractility locally self-activating and the ensuing tension acting as a long-range inhibitor. This mechanical feedback governs the persistent pattern of tissue flows that shape the embryo and also steers the concomitant emergence of embryonic territories by modulating gene expression, ensuring the formation of a single embryo under normal conditions, yet allowing the emergence of multiple, well-proportioned
embryos after perturbations. Thus, mechanical forces act at the core of embryonic self-organization, shaping both tissues and gene expression to robustly yet plastically canalize early development.
Scheduled Sessions:
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) |
| Nov | Neurophysiological principles of reward | Dr. Annie Park (Oxford University) |
| Dec | 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 |
| Aug 12 | Sleep microstructure organizes memory replay | Wenbo Tang, PhD (Cornell) | Pubmed |
| Aug 21 | Genetic and Molecular Strategies for Unraveling Sensory Circuit Development | David YC Chen, PhD (Temple) | Pubmed |
| Sep 16 | Investigating the Bistability in Coordinated Oscillations of Pancreatic Islets | Nicole Bruce, PhD (University of Tennessee) | Pubmed |
Past Events in 2024
Past Events in 2023
Past Events in 2022