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David Carlson

Yoh Family Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


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.  

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Yoh Family Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering · 2025 - Present Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering · 2024 - Present Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Associate Professor in Biostatistics & Bioinformatics · 2025 - Present Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering · 2024 - Present Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Associate Professor of Computer Science · 2025 - Present Computer Science, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering · 2025 - Present Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2019 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 22, 2025
Ten Faculty Named 2025 Bass Chairs
Published June 27, 2024
For Many Urban Residents, It’s Hotter Than Their Weather App Says
Published July 14, 2023
Eyes in the Sky Bring Good News on Trash Burning in the Maldives

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Recent Publications


Scale-free and unbiased transformer with tokenization for cell type annotation from single-cell RNA-seq data

Journal Article Pattern Recognition · December 1, 2025 The exponentially increasing high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data enables the further elucidation of more granular gene-cell expression patterns across diverse species, making the development of efficient cell type annotation methods ... Full text Cite

Applications of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Tropospheric Ozone Research

Journal Article Geoscientific Model Development · November 20, 2025 Machine learning (ML) is transforming atmospheric chemistry, offering powerful tools to address challenges in tropospheric ozone research, a critical area for climate resilience and public health. As in adjacent fields, ML approaches complement existing re ... Full text Cite

Sleep-Wake States Are Encoded across Emotion Regulation Regions of the Mouse Brain.

Journal Article eNeuro · November 2025 Emotional dysregulation is highly comorbid with sleep disturbances. Sleep is composed of unique physiological states that are reflected by conserved brain oscillations. Though the role of these state-dependent oscillations in cognitive function has been we ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


IUCRC Phase I Duke University: Center for Innovation in Risk-analysis for Climate Adaption and Decision-making (CIRCAD)

ResearchParticipating Faculty Member · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2025 - 2030

Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Child Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Program (DN-IPT)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2024 - 2029

Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences · 2019 - 2029

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Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 2015 Ph.D.