James H. Fowler

James H. Fowler is a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), with expertise in computational social science, social networks, and their implications for human behavior, health, and policy. His work bridges social, biological, and data sciences, focusing on how social connections influence phenomena like obesity, happiness, and public health trends. He co-authored the influential book Connected and pioneered studies on network effects in epidemics, cooperation, and political mobilization.

Education: PhD in Political Science from Harvard University (2003), specializing in American Politics, Methodology, and Social Networks.

Research highlights include demonstrating how social networks spread behaviors (e.g., obesity, smoking) and emotions (e.g., happiness), as well as leveraging big data for disaster response and pandemic management. His collaborations with Nicholas Christakis have been particularly impactful in social contagion theory and health research.

Notable projects include analyzing the Framingham Heart Study for happiness dynamics, modeling cooperation in hunter-gatherer societies, and advising on pandemic response strategies using behavioral science insights.