The Awesome Power of Data Collapse

Event Date:
2026-02-05T16:00:00
2026-02-05T17:00:00
Event Location:
HENN 201
Speaker:
Rob Phillips, Caltech
Related Upcoming Events:
Department Colloquia
Intended Audience:
Everyone
Local Contact:

Georg Rieger (rieger@phas.ubc.ca) and Brett Gladman (gladman@astro.ubc.ca)

All are welcome to this event!

Event Information:

 

Abstract: 
More than 80 years ago, Guggenheim developed the law of corresponding states that showed how different fluids are characterized by the same equation of state when described using “reduced coordinates.” That kind of thinking has now been used for generations in a variety of physical contexts.  

In this talk, I will describe the perhaps surprising fact that in a variety of different biological contexts, this same kind of thinking provides a powerful unity to apparently quite disparate phenomena and datasets. But these are generalities. In my talk, specifically, I will describe two of the centerpieces of biological function, namely, signaling and regulation and how the tools of statistical mechanics have been used to describe these processes, the predictions that such models provide and how we have designed precision measurements to test them. But what is really interesting is how the method of data collapse allows us to see that apparently quite disparate biological situations are described by the same underlying input-output functions. Indeed, my concluding observation will be to note that the theory-experiment comparison is so compelling that the “fit” is every bit as good as we expect from condensed matter physics.

 

Bio:


Rob Phillips grew up in San Diego, California in a home filled with books, leading to a love affair with books and reading that has continued to this day. His forwarded-looking parents allowed him to leave high-school early and undertake a seven-year adventure of travel, self-study and work as an electrician as an alternative to college. Phillips received his BS in physics from the University of Minnesota by independent study in 1986, and his PhD in condensed matter physics at Washington University in 1989.  

Rob is the Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics, Biology, and Physics at Caltech and greatly enjoys teaching both in physics and biology, with special reference to the way those two great fields interact. Research in the Phillips Laboratory focuses broadly on physical biology of the cell, an approach in which physical models are used to make predictions about how biological systems work, and those ideas are tested using precision measurements. Some of current research threads include trying to develop generic ways of understanding how bacterial genomes are regulated and how that regulation has evolved and also exploring how energy consuming processes lead to the self-organization of active matter structures such as the spindle that separates chromosomes in dividing cells.

Learn More:

Add to Calendar 2026-02-05T16:00:00 2026-02-05T17:00:00 The Awesome Power of Data Collapse Event Information:   Abstract: More than 80 years ago, Guggenheim developed the law of corresponding states that showed how different fluids are characterized by the same equation of state when described using “reduced coordinates.” That kind of thinking has now been used for generations in a variety of physical contexts.   In this talk, I will describe the perhaps surprising fact that in a variety of different biological contexts, this same kind of thinking provides a powerful unity to apparently quite disparate phenomena and datasets. But these are generalities. In my talk, specifically, I will describe two of the centerpieces of biological function, namely, signaling and regulation and how the tools of statistical mechanics have been used to describe these processes, the predictions that such models provide and how we have designed precision measurements to test them. But what is really interesting is how the method of data collapse allows us to see that apparently quite disparate biological situations are described by the same underlying input-output functions. Indeed, my concluding observation will be to note that the theory-experiment comparison is so compelling that the “fit” is every bit as good as we expect from condensed matter physics.   Bio: Rob Phillips grew up in San Diego, California in a home filled with books, leading to a love affair with books and reading that has continued to this day. His forwarded-looking parents allowed him to leave high-school early and undertake a seven-year adventure of travel, self-study and work as an electrician as an alternative to college. Phillips received his BS in physics from the University of Minnesota by independent study in 1986, and his PhD in condensed matter physics at Washington University in 1989.   Rob is the Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics, Biology, and Physics at Caltech and greatly enjoys teaching both in physics and biology, with special reference to the way those two great fields interact. Research in the Phillips Laboratory focuses broadly on physical biology of the cell, an approach in which physical models are used to make predictions about how biological systems work, and those ideas are tested using precision measurements. Some of current research threads include trying to develop generic ways of understanding how bacterial genomes are regulated and how that regulation has evolved and also exploring how energy consuming processes lead to the self-organization of active matter structures such as the spindle that separates chromosomes in dividing cells. Learn More: See his faculty webpage at Caltech: https://www.bbe.caltech.edu/people/rob-phillips  View his research group website: https://www.rpgroup.caltech.edu/index.html  Read this Caltech article about Rob's class "The Whale": https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/sparks-short-courses   Event Location: HENN 201