Raissa M. D'Souza

Associate Dean of Research
& Professor
College of Engineering
University of California, Davis

Department of Computer Science
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Graduate Group in Applied Math
Graduate Group in Physics
Complexity Sciences Center

Member, Board of Reviewing Editors, Science
Founding Lead Editor, Physical Review Research

Fellow, American Physical Society, class of 2016.
Fellow, Network Science Society, class of 2019.
2015-18 President, The Network Science Society
External Professor, Santa Fe Institute
External Professor, Complexity Sciences Hub Vienna

Editorial Board, Internet Mathematics
Editorial Board, IEEE Trans. Network Science & Eng. (2014-2020)
Associate Editor, Journal of Complex Networks (2013-2017)
Editorial Board, Scientific Reports (2012-2014)
Advisory Board, Quanta Magazine (2018-2020)
July 1, 2015
office: 1042 Kemper Hall
email: rmdsouza at ucdavis.edu (Curriculum Vitae, March 2024) (Google Scholar)
Research interests: Complex networks, percolation, cascades, interdependent complex systems
Bio | Pubs | Team | Videos | Grants | Teaching | ECS/MAE 253 | Fun
News:
 • Perspective: Control of complex networks with complex nodes new in Nature Reviews Physics, April 2023. Statistical physics meets control theory.
• New in Chaos, April 2022: Sandpile cascades on oscillator networks: The BTW model meets Kuramoto
• Lead author, Guga Mikaberidze.
• New in Phys Rev Research: Decoupled synchronized states in networks of linearly coupled limit cycle oscillators
• Lead author, Anastasiya Salova, is on the postdoc job market!
• New in Nature Comm: "Mutualistic networks emerging from adaptive niche-based interactions", published Oct 2020.
• New in Phys Rev Letter: "Homophily can impede strutural balance", published Aug 2020.
• Using the multiplex degree sequence as a probability distribution, JCN, April 2020.
• "Susceptible individuals drive active social contagion", published in PRR, Nov 2019.
• "Competitive percolation strategies for network recovery", published in Sci. Rep., Aug 2019.
• "Koopman operator and its approximations for systems with symmetries", published in Chaos, Sep. 2019.
• Our 100 page review article: Explosive Phenomena in Complex Networks (full pdf here)
is published in Advances in Physics, Aug 2019.
Thanks to co-authors Jan Nagler, Jesus Gomez-Gardenes, and Alex Arenas.
• Raissa appointed Lead Editor, Physical Review Research, June 2019.
• Raissa receives inaugural Euler Award and is elected Fellow of the Network Science Society
- UC Davis Press release
• New article in Science, March 8 2019:
- Exotic states in a simple network of nanoelectromechanical oscillators.
- UC Davis Press release
- Santa Fe Institute Press release
- Quanta Magazine feature April 4 2019.
- Wired Magazine, April 7 2019.
• Group member Marton Posfai wins the 2019 UC Davis Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research
• Nov 2018, our paper from FSE 2008, wins the ESEC/FSE 2018 Test of Time award!
• Two new papers, Aug 2018:
- Self-organization of Dragon King failures, (arxiv).
- Talent and experience shape competitive social hierarchies, (arxiv).
• Recent Perspective piece in Nov 17, 2017 issue of Science, "Curtailing cascading failures".
• UC Davis recruitment in Network Theory. (Stay tuned for more news.) .
This is part of a broader initiative including Computational Neuroscience, and Data Science!

• Raissa is awarded the 2017 College of Engineering, Outstanding Mid-Career Faculty Research Award.

• Raissa is elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, Class of 2016.

• Attend Mx16, May 20-22, 2016, our interdisciplinary symposium on multi-dimensional networks!

• Our review article on Explosive Percolation, Nature Physics, 11(7), 2015.

• "The New Laws of Explosive Networks" Quanta Magazine, July 14, 2015 & Wired Magazine, Aug 1, 2015.

• SFI hosts our MURI working group on control of interdependent networks, June 23-26, 2015.

• Inside Science article on our recent work in opinion dynamics with Zealots (Feb, 2015).

• Our special issue: "The Digital Age and the Future of Social Network Science and Engineering", Proc. IEEE 102 (12) 2014.

• Our paper on Targeted Control appears in Nature Communications (Nov 12, 2014)

• Read our newest article in PRL on microtransitions and early warning signs for percolation (Apr 18, 2014).

• Attend NetSci 2014. I am the General Chair. (Registration information)

• PhD Candidate, Charlie Brummitt, wins J. S. McDonnell Postdoctoral Fellowship in Studying Complex Systems, 2014-2016!

• Raissa joins the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Complex Systems.

• Our MURI proposal is selected for funding! $6.25million over the next five years.
Predicting and Controlling Systems of Interdependent Networks: Exploiting Interdependence for Control
UC Davis Press Article

• Our new article in PRL (Aug 12, 2013) is chosen as Editor's Suggestion.
See the accompanying Viewpoint, "Getting out of control", by N. A. M. Araujo.

Recent Press:

  • "The Math of How Crickets, Starlings, and Neurons Sync Up", Wired Magazine, April 7 2019.
  • "Scientists Discover Exotic New Patterns of Synchronization" Quanta Magazine, April 4 2019.
  • "Exotic states" California Aggie, April 4 2019.
  • "The New Laws of Explosive Networks" Quanta Magazine, July 14, 2014 & Wired Magazine, Aug 1, 2015.
  • "Zealots Help Sway Popular Opinions" Inside Science, Feb. 19, 2015.
  • "The Mathematics of Averting the Next Big Network Failure", Wired Magazine/Simmons Science News, Mar. 19, 2013.
  • "When Networks Network", Science News, Sept 22, 2012.
  • "Embracing complexity", FQXi, Nov 6, 2012.

    • Selected publications: (Full publication list)

  • C. D. Brummitt, P. D. H. Hines, I. Dobson, C. Moore, R. M. D'Souza, Transdisciplinary electric power grid science PNAS, (Opinion piece), July 23, 2013.
    Supplemental Information, including figures and background.

  • C. D. Brummitt, R. M. D'Souza and E. A. Leicht, "Suppressing casades of load in interdependent networks" PNAS, Feb 21 2012.
    Executive summary: 2-page "Author Summary" (pdf)
    Press articles: Computerworld Slashdot UCD College of Engineering News ilsussidiario

  • Wei Chen, Z. Zheng and R. M. D'Souza, "Deriving an underlying mechanism for discontinuous percolation", Europhysics Letters, 100 (6), 66006, 2012.
  • W. Chen and R. M. D'Souza, "Explosive percolation with multiple giant components", Physical Review Letters, 106, 115701, 2011. (pdf)

  • D. Achlioptas, R. M. D'Souza and J. Spencer, "Explosive Percolation in Random Networks", Science, 323 (5920) 1453-1455, 2009.
    Accompanying Perspective: T. Bohman, "Emergence of Connectivity in Networks", Science, 323 (5920) 1438-1439, 2009.
    Press articles: Eurekalert Press Release New Scientist Article

  • V. Filkov, et. al. "Modeling and verifying a broad array of network properties" Europhysics Letters, 86, 28003, 2009.

  • R. M. D'Souza, C. Borgs, J. T. Chayes, N. Berger, and R. Kleinberg, "Emergence of Tempered Preferential Attachment From Optimization", PNAS, 104, (15), 6112-6117, 2007,
    (Cover Story)     . Press articles: UCDavis press releaseLa Recherche

  • R. M. D'Souza, "Coexisting phases and lattice dependence of a cellular automata model for traffic flow", Physical Review E, 71, 066112, 2005.
    ( Movie of the elusive intermediate phases).

    • Professional history:
  • 7/2014 onwards, Professor, UC Davis.
  • 2007 - present, External Professor, Santa Fe Institute.
  • 7/2008 - 6/2014, Associate Professor, UC Davis.
  • 2005 - 6/2008, Assistant Professor, UC Davis. Joined GGCS 2005, GGAM 2007.
  • 2002-2005, Postdoctoral Fellow, Microsoft Research: Theory Group.
  • 1999-2002, Postdoctoral Fellow, Bell Labs: Math Center and Theoretical Physics Groups
  • 1999, PhD in Statistical Physics, MIT, for work done jointly in the Lab for Computer Science.

    • Recent honors:
  • Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences USA: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011.

    • Teaching:
  • Winter 2017 : ECS 20, Discrete Math
  • Spring 2016 : Networks course: ECS253 / MAE 253, Network Theory and Applications
  • Winter 2016 : ENG 105, Thermodynamics
  • Winter 2015 : ECS 15, Introduction to Computers
  • Spring 2014 : Networks course: ECS289 / MAE 298, Network Theory and Applications
  • Winter 2014 : MAE 216, Advanced Thermodynamics
  • Winter 2013 : ECS 15, Introduction to Computers
  • Spring 2012 : MAE 216, Advanced Thermodynamics
  • Fall 2011 : ENG 105, Thermodynamics
  • Fall 2011 : ENG 105, Thermodynamics
  • Winter 2011 : Networks course: ECS289 / MAE 298, Network Theory and Applications
  • Fall 2010 : ECS 20, Discrete Math
  • Fall 2010 : ENG 105, Thermodynamics
  • Spring 2009 : Advanced topics in network theory
  • Fall 2008 : ENG 105, Thermodynamics
  • Fall 2007 : Networks course: NSF VIGRE Research Focus Group on Probability.
  • Spring 2008 : MAE 298, "Network Theory and Applications", (2007 version) and (2006 version)
  • Fall 2006. Winter 2006. Spring 2008. ENG 102, "Dynamics"
  • Winter 2007 : ENG 105, "Thermodynamics"
  • Mathematics Illuminated, (Episodes 7 and 11). Series produced by Annenberg Foundation and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

  • Resources for Summer Internships (a little outdated)

    Workshop organization:

    Organizing/Program Cmmts: (I no longer update this since 2016, since I am involved in too many to chronical.)
  • Steering Committee, NetSci-X, 2016, Wroclaw Poland, Jan 11-13, 2016.
  • General Chair, NetSci 2014, June 2-6, 2014.
  • Program Committee, NetSci 2013, June 3-7, 2013.
  • TPC, NetSciCom 2013, April, 2013.
  • Organizer, Graduate Group in Applied Math Mini-conference, UC Davis, Jan 26, 2013.
  • Scientific Steering Committee, Networks Of Networks: Systemic Risk and Infrastructural Interdependencies, Satellite of NetSci 2012, Northwestern University, June 19, 2012.
  • Power Grids as Complex Networks: Formulating problems for useful science and science based engineering, Santa Fe Institute, May 17-19, 2012
  • TPC, 9th Workshop on Algorithms and Models for the Web Graph (WAW'12).
  • TPC, 6th International Workshop on Self-Organizing Systems (IWSOS 2012), March 15-16, 2012, Delft, The Netherlands.
  • Dynamics of Networks workshop, for the 2010-11 Program on Complex Networks at SAMSI.
  • Co-chair, 2011 Indo-US Kavli Frontiers of Science, April 18-20, 2011.
  • Co-chair, 11th Kavli Frontiers of Science, sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Irvine CA, December 2008.
  • 10th Kavli Frontiers of Science, sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Japan, December 2007 (Organizing committee member).
  • European Conference on Complex Systems, University of Oxford, 25-29 September 2006 (TPC member).


    • Recent talks: (Slides and videos available here)

    2019

  • Invited speaker, NetSci X 2019, Jan 3-5, Santiago, Chile.
  • Invited speaker, Complenet'19, 18-21 March 2019, Tarragona, Spain.
  • Colloquium Speaker, Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering, Princeton University, April 16, 2019.
  • "The end of networks" (YouTube) (40 min), Santa Fe Institute Symposium on the End of Everything, May 4, 2019.
  • Plenary lecture, European Control Conference 2019, 25-28 June 2019, Naples, Italy.

    • 2018

  • Plenary speaker, SIAM Network Science 2018, Portland Oregon, July 12, 2018.
  • Keynote speaker, NetONets 2018, satellite workshop of NetSci 2018, Paris France, June 12, 2018.
  • Invited talk, American Physical Society March meeting, March 8, 2018.
  • Keynote speaker, NetSci X 2018, Hangzhou China, Jan 5-8, 2018.

    • 2017

  • Keynote speaker, Conference on Complex Systems 2017, Sept 19, 2017.
  • Invited speaker, Symposium of Controlling Complex Networks, NetSci 2017, June 19, 2017.
  • Lecturer, NetSci 2017 International School, NetSci 2017, June 20, 2017.
  • Invited speaker, 2017 SIAM Conference on Dynamical Systems, mini-symposium Explosive Transitions in the Structure and in the Dynamics of Complex Networks, May 22, 2017.
  • Seminar, Center for Complex Systems, University of Sydney, April 2, 2017

    • 2016

  • Keynote Speaker, Complex Networks 2016, Milan, Italy Nov 30 - Dec 2, 2016.
  • Colloquium, Physics Department, Boston University, March 22, 2016.
  • Invited Speaker, APS March meeting, Session V3: Complex Network Dynamics, March 17, 2016.

    • 2015

  • Invited lecture, Mechanical Engineering/IGERT seminar, UC Santa Barbara, Nov 9, 2015.
  • Colloquium, Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, Oct 5, 2015.
  • Keynote Speaker, NetSci 2015, Zaragoza Spain, June 1-5, 2015.
  • Invited Speaker, UC Davis, Institute for Social Sciences 2015 Conference, May 8, 2015.
  • Invited lectures, University of Alaska, Anchorage, Complex Systems lecture series, April 2-3, 2015.
  • Keynote Speaker, UC Davis, Statistical Sciences Symposium, April 10-11, 2015.

    • 2014

  • Invited Speaker, Berkeley Mini-Stat Mech Meeting, UC Berkeley, Jan. 11, 2014.
  • Colloquium, Stanford Complexity Group, Stanford University, Aug. 4, 2014.
  • The John von Neumann Public Lecture, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, University of Wisconsin, Nov. 5, 2014.

    • 2013

  • Invited Speaker, Dynamics Days US, Denver CO, Jan 3-6, 2013.
  • Invited Speaker, American Physical Society March Meeting, Baltimore MD, Mar 18-22, 2013.
  • Distinguished Physics & Astronomy Complex Systems Seminar, Northwestern University, Chicago, April 25, 2013.
  • Invited Speaker, SIAM dynamical systems conference, May 19-23, 2013.
  • Colloquium, ETH Risk Center, ETH Zurich, Oct 29, 2013.

    • 2012

  • Invited Speaker, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, 16-20 Feb, Vancouver, Canada.
  • Distinguished Lecture Series, UC Irvine, April 27, 2012.
  • Santa Fe Institute Colloquium, May 16, 2012.
  • Power Grids as Complex Networks, Santa Fe Institute, May 17-19, 2012
  • Lecturer, 8th Cornell Probability Summer School, Cornell University, July 16-27, 2012.
  • Invited speaker, Complexity of Interacting Networks, satellite meeting of ECCS '12
  • Keynote speaker, Coupled Networks, Dragon Kings and Explosive Percolation: New Views on Extreme Events, Workshop of the ETH Risk Center, ETH Zurich, October 25-26th, 2012.
  • Physics Colloquium, UC Riverside, Nov 29, 2012.

    2011

  • Invited Speaker, American Physical Society March Meeting, Dallas, TX. Mar 21-25, 2011.
  • Invited Speaker, NetONets 2011, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary. June 7, 2011.
  • Invited Speaker, NetSci 2011, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. June 8-10, 2011.
  • Invited Speaker, The Foundational Questions Institute, Setting Time Aright, Norway and Denmark, Aug 27-Sep 1, 2011.
  • Invited Speaker, Network Frontier Workshop, Northwestern University, Dec 1, 2011.
  • Applied Math Colloquium, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, Dec 2, 2011.

    • 2010

  • Invited lecture, Nonlinear Dynamics of Networks, Univ. of Maryland, 5-9 April, 2010.
  • Working group on interdependent networks, Santa Fe Institute, June 21-24, 2010.
  • TTI Vanguard, Matters of Scale, London England, July 20-21, 2010.
  • "Science of Cities", Bellagio, Italy, July 27-30, 2010.
  • SAMSI Opening Workshop, 2010-11 Program on Complex Networks, Aug 29-Sep 1, 2010.

    2009

  • Physics Colloquium, UC Davis, Feb 9, 2009.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Seminar, April 9, 2009.
  • Physics Colloquium, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, May 20, 2009.
  • Invited lecture, Canadian Discrete and Algorithmic Mathematics Conference, Montreal, May 25, 2009.
  • Invited lecture, NetSci 2009, Venice Italy, 29 June - 03 July.
  • Invited participant, "Lakeside Research Days", University of Klagenfurt Austria, 13 July - 17 July.
  • Colloquium, Microsoft Research, Oct 7, 2009.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Combinatorics Seminar, Department of Mathematics, Oct 28, 2009.
  • Northeastern University, CCNR Seminar, Dec. 8, 2009.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, LIDS Seminar, Dec.7, 2009.

    • 2008

  • Physics Colloquium, University of Maryland, April 29th, 2008.
  • Keynote address, Davis SIAM Student Research Conference, May 3, 2008.
  • ICME Colloquium, Stanford University, May 19, 2008.
  • Opening Plenary Session, Supernova 2008: Challenges for the Network Age, June 19, 2008.
  • The Network Resilience Challenge, Secretary of Defense Highlands Forum, Wilmington, DE, Oct 5-7, 2008.
  • NAKFI Complex Systems, Irvine CA, Nov 12-15, 2008.
  • Bayesian Statistics and Massive Data Streams, Applied Math Session JAFOS, Irvine CA, Dec 4-7, 2008.

    • 2007

  • DIMACS-Georgia Tech "Workshop on Complex Networks and Systems", January 22-24, 2007 (Invited Lecture).
  • Institute for Pure and Applied Math, "Random Curves, Surfaces, and Transport", April 16 - 20, 2007 (Invited Lecture).
  • Institute for Pure and Applied Math, "Random and Dynamic Graphs and Networks", May 7 - 11, 2007 (Invited Lecture).
  • NetSci 2007, May 20-25, 2007 (Invited Lecture).
  • SFI Complex Systems Summer School, Beijing, China. July 23-27, 2007 (Faculty Lecturer).
  • Network Dynamics and Traffic Control, Jamming and Flow, Applied Math Session JAFOS, Japan, Dec 2007.

    • 2006

  • AMS Meeting, Special Session on Probability and Statistical Physics, April 29-30, 2006 (Invited Lecture).
  • MAA Prep Workshop, Mathematics of Markov Chain Monte Carlo, June 12-16, 2006 (Invited Lecturer).
  • SFI Complex Systems Summer School, Beijing, China. July 2006 (Faculty Lecturer).
  • American Institute of Mathematics, "Workshop on Phase Transitions in Physics, Computer Science, Combinatorics and Probability Theory", Palo Alto, CA, August 21-25, 2006 (Invited participant).
  • 9th Annual Kavli Frontiers of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Irvine, CA, December 8-10, 2006 (Invited participant).
  • Valparaiso Complex Systems Institute (ISCV), Chile.
    (Organizing the December 2006 residency month on "Networks and Statistical Physics")

    • Some fun things:

  • Gallery of scientific images and movies

  • Rock climbing

  • Sailing

  • A poem John Preskill wrote to introduce my Caltech physics colloquium.

  • Brubar Energy Bars

    • Research Areas | Teaching | Workshops | Talks | Publications | Fun | CSE Seminar