John P. Barton

John P. Barton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He holds a PhD in Physics from Rutgers University and completed postdoctoral training at MIT. His research focuses on pathogen evolution, innate immunity, and computational methods to analyze viral dynamics and immune responses. He is currently an invited professor at QBio (ENS-PSL) collaborating on quantitative biology projects.

Education:

• PhD in Physics, Rutgers University
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, MIT (Institute for Medical Engineering and Science)
• Previous faculty position at University of California, Riverside

Research Interests: Dr. Barton develops quantitative models to study viral evolution (e.g., HIV, SARS-CoV-2) and immune system interactions. His lab uses statistical physics, machine learning, and population genetics to predict pathogen behavior and improve vaccine design.

Collaborations: Active collaborations with QBio researchers (Simona Cocco, Rémi Monasson) and multidisciplinary teams combining physics, biology, and medicine. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with experimental data from viral sequencing and immune cell studies.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Barton Lab at the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on computational biology approaches to infectious disease and immunity.