Boris I. Shraiman

University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Chicago

Papers

Total Citations

1,077

H-Index

About

Boris I. Shraiman is a theoretical physicist and biologist whose research spans statistical physics, fluid dynamics, and sensory navigation — fields he has helped transform through elegant mathematical frameworks. He is perhaps best known for his landmark 2007 paper introducing "infotaxis," a search strategy that guides an agent toward an odor source not by following concentration gradients but by maximizing the rate of information gain. This counterintuitive yet powerful concept has garnered over 900 citations and influenced robotics, neuroscience, and behavioral biology alike. Shraiman's broader interest in olfactory search is evident in his 2002 work on locating odor sources in turbulent environments, where he applied statistical physics to explain how organisms navigate the chaotic, intermittent nature of scent plumes — a study that has accumulated over 150 citations. More recently, he has extended these ideas to trail-tracking behaviors observed in ants, mice, and dogs, probing the strategies behind casting and other complex chemotactic movements. Across these contributions, Shraiman has consistently bridged the physical sciences and biology, offering quantitative insights into how living systems process and act upon sparse, noisy sensory information.