Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
My general research focus is on developing novel machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques that can be used to accelerate scientific discovery. I work extensively both on the fundamental theory and algorithms as well as translating them into scientific applications. I have extensive partnerships deploying machine learning techniques in environmental health, mental health, and neuroscience.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Assistant Professor in Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
- Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Assistant Professor of Computer Science
- Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Contact Information
- Office Location: Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27705
- Office Phone: (919) 668-9680
- Email Address: david.carlson@duke.edu
Education
- Ph.D. Duke University, 2015
Research Interests
Machine learning, predictive modeling, health data science, statistical neuroscience
Courses Taught
- CEE 690: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- CEE 702: Graduate Colloquium
- CEE 780: Internship
- COMPSCI 393: Research Independent Study
- COMPSCI 394: Research Independent Study
- ECE 494: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
- ECE 899: Special Readings in Electrical Engineering
- EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
- ME 555: Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering
In the News
- Eyes in the Sky Bring Good News on Trash Burning in the Maldives (Jul 14, 2023 | Pratt School of Engineering)
- Students Find Interdisciplinary Exploration and Connection in Winter Breakaway Courses (Jan 21, 2021)
- David Carlson: Engineering and Machine Learning for Better Medicine (Jan 9, 2018 | Duke Research Blog)
- David Carlson: Generating Scientific Understanding from Machine Learning (Aug 24, 2017 | Pratt School of Engineering)
Representative Publications
- Grossman, Yael S., Austin Talbot, Neil M. Gallagher, Gwenaëlle E. Thomas, Alexandra J. Fink, Kathryn K. Walder-Christensen, Scott J. Russo, David E. Carlson, and Kafui Dzirasa. “Brain-wide oscillatory network encodes an aggressive internal state.” Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, December 7, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.07.519272.
- Jiang, Z., T. Zheng, M. Bergin, and D. Carlson. “Improving spatial variation of ground-level PM2.5 prediction with contrastive learning from satellite imagery.” Science of Remote Sensing 5 (June 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srs.2022.100052.
- Mague, Stephen D., Austin Talbot, Cameron Blount, Kathryn K. Walder-Christensen, Lara J. Duffney, Elise Adamson, Alexandra L. Bey, et al. “Brain-wide electrical dynamics encode individual appetitive social behavior.” Neuron 110, no. 10 (May 18, 2022): 1728-1741.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.02.016.
- Bey, Alexandra L., Kathryn K. Walder-Christensen, Jack Goffinet, Elise Adamson, Noah Lanier, Stephen D. Mague, David Carlson, and Kafui Dzirasa. “6.28 Identifying Networks Underlying Sleep Disruption in Autism Spectrum Disorder Mouse Models.” In Journal of the American Academy of Child &Amp; Adolescent Psychiatry, 60:S167–S167. Elsevier BV, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.09.101.
- Dunn, Timothy W., Jesse D. Marshall, Kyle S. Severson, Diego E. Aldarondo, David G. C. Hildebrand, Selmaan N. Chettih, William L. Wang, et al. “Geometric deep learning enables 3D kinematic profiling across species and environments.” Nat Methods 18, no. 5 (May 2021): 564–73. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-021-01106-6.