(Image: Santa Fe Institute/InSight Foto) 		Raissa D'Souza

Associate Professor
University of California, Davis
Department of Computer Science
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Graduate Group in Applied Math
Complexity Sciences Center

External Professor, Santa Fe Institute
Managing Editor, Internet Mathematics
Associate Editor, Journal of Complex Networks, Oxford Univ Press
Editorial Board, Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group

office: 3057 Kemper Hall
phone: 530-754-8405
email: raissa at cse.ucdavis.edu
Research on Networks: Percolation and jamming phase transitions; Cascades; Interdependent networks ; Self-organization.
| Publications | Team Members | Teaching | Talks/Videos | Gallery/Movies | Fun | CSE Seminar |
Winter 2013 Teaching: ECS 15, Introduction to Computers
Winter 2013 Teaching: ENG 102, Dynamics
Networks course: ECS289 / MAE 298, Network Theory and Applications (Last taught Winter 2011)
Resources for Summer Internships! (a little outdated)
Recent Press:

  • "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)

  • NEW: R. M. D'Souza, "Complex networks: A winning strategy" (for interdependence), Nature Physics (News and Views), Feb 24, 2013.

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

  • NEW: 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:
  • 7/2008 - present, Associate Professor, UC Davis.
  • 2007 - present, External Professor, Santa Fe Institute.
  • 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:
  • Mathematics Illuminated, (Episodes 7 and 11). Series produced by Annenberg Foundation and Oregon Public Broadcasting.
  • Spring 2012 Teaching: MAE 216, Advanced Thermodynamics
  • Winter 2013 Teaching: ECS 15, Introduction to Computers
  • Fall 2011 Teaching: 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"

    • Upcoming workshops and talks: (pdfs of some talks for download)

    Organizing/Program Cmmts:
  • 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, 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).

    • 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.

    • 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")

    • Research Team:

  • Charlie Brummitt, Applied Math PhD Candidate.

  • Samuel Johnson, Computer Science PhD Candidate.

  • Pierre-Andre Noel, Postdoctoral Scholar.

  • Umberto Perna, Visiting Research Scholar.

  • Vikram S Vijayaraghavan, Physics PhD Candidate.

  • Alex Waagen, Applied Math PhD Candidate.

    • Alumni:
  • Wei Chen, Applied Math PhD June 2012 (from Peking University).
    Currently: Assistant Professor at Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Haoran Wen, PhD, Jan 2011, Mech and Aero Eng. Now at Amazon R&D.
    (Co-evolution and community structure in socio-technical open-source software networks.)

  • Dr. Elizabeth Leicht, Postdoctoral Scholar 2008-2010.
    Currently: Junior Fellow, Oxford University and
    Senior Research Fellow, CABDyN Complexity Centre

  • Dr. Soumen Roy, Postdoctoral Scholar, 2007-2009.
    Currently: Assistant Professor, Bose Institute, Kolkata India.

  • Daniel Wuellner, GGAM MS, 2010.

  • Osamu Yamaguchi, Visiting Scientist, 2007-2008, JFE Steel Corporation.

  • Nicholas Linesch, Applied Math, BS 2007. Currently MS Candidiate, TTP UCDavis. (Traffic modeling.)

    • Some fun things:

  • 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