Dr. Daniel Rokhsar

Biography

Daniel Rokhsar's research interests center on collective phenomena and ordering in condensed matter and biological systems. He has worked on high-temperature superconductivity, quantum antiferromagnetism, fullerenes, and liquid crystals. Currently, his interests include theoretical and computational modeling of molecular, cellular, and collective properties of biological systems, as well as the behavior of quantum fluids such as cold atomic gases and high-temperature superconductors. His current projects involve understanding the mammalian visual system as a complex self-organizing system, particularly how connections between cells in the retina and brain may arise spontaneously rather than through predetermined pathways, focusing on the electrical activity of the retina during development. Rokhsar collaborates with neuroscientists to develop models of cell interactions within the developing retina, comparing these models to experimental data to derive principles governing neural networks. Additionally, he studies the thermodynamic properties of proteins and their folding processes, exploring the conditions that lead to denaturation and refolding. His work also includes investigating the properties of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates in various geometries and the impact of external potentials on these systems.

Research Interests