What do airplanes and fruit flies share in common? For Claire Tomlin Ph.D. ’98, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, it is the mathematics underlying each system. As a control theorist, Tomlin develops complex algorithms that can be manipulated to achieve a certain goal. Whether one is trying to prevent mid-air collisions or understand how a fly’s wings develop, the answer is in the numbers.
These clearly divergent interests — aeronautics and biology — garnered Tomlin the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, commonly called the “genius grant,” last fall. One of 25 winners, she was chosen for her exceptional creativity and potential for still more. The stipend includes $500,000 over five years to be used however Tomlin wishes. She is the 40th Berkeley researcher to receive the award since 1981.
Much of Tomlin’s research addresses problems in aircraft flight control and air traffic. The algorithms she uses consider a variety of constant and changing variables, from bad weather and equipment malfunctions to rerouted aircraft and bottlenecks. Applying her theories to today’s complicated hybrid systems ultimately improves their automated capabilities, helping air traffic controllers and pilots keep the airports efficient and skies safe.
Tomlin recently began applying control theory to biological problems. Partnering with Jeffrey Axelrod, a pathology professor at Stanford University, Tomlin’s team used mathematical models to predict protein concentrations produced by genes that are essential to creating a fruit fly’s wings. In the long run, this may help us understand developmental irregularities in humans.
For now, Tomlin plans to amp up her education and lab experience in the biological sciences. The fellowship acknowledges her ability to transcend the conventional limits of her field and connect seemingly unconnected disciplines in important ways.
