James Fowler
PopTech 2009
James H. Fowler is an internationally recognized political scientist who specializes in the study of social networks, human cooperation, and political participation. His work bridges the social and natural sciences and is frequently covered by the media.
Among the questions he has asked are, “Do your friends make you fat?”, “How do your neighbors affect your mood?”, and “Why do the rich get richer?” This year alone, Scientific American has reported on his work three times for three different projects on egalitarianism, obesity, and the genetic basis of political behavior.
Fowler’s research on genopolitics with Chris Dawes was featured in The New York Times Magazine’s 2008 Year In Ideas. His research on social networks with Nicholas A. Christakis was featured in Time’s Year in Medicine in both 2007 and 2008, and in Harvard Business Review’s Breakthrough Business Ideas.
The book Fowler coauthored with Christakis, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, has just been published. He is an Associate Professor in the Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems at CALIT2 and the Political Science Department at the University of California, San Diego.