Dr. Pedro D. Manrique joined Florida Polytechnic University in the fall of 2024 as a visiting faculty member. Shortly after, he was appointed full-time assistant professor of physics beginning in the spring of 2025. He is a theoretical and computational physicist with expertise in theoretical and computational characterization of complex adaptive systems.
Prior to joining Florida Poly, he held a research scientist position at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., from 2021 to 2024. While at GWU, he developed statistical physics theories to study protein aggregation in heterogeneous biomolecular environments, online distrust networks, and cohesive behavior in cyber physical systems.
From 2019 to 2021, Manrique was a postdoctoral fellow in the theoretical division of Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM, where he focused on multi-scale modeling of biosystems within the context of antimicrobial resistance and a network modeling approach aimed at predicting protein disruption. He also held a postdoctoral position in the Department of Physics at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, from 2016 to 2019. While there, he worked on game theories and agent-based models with applications in taxis in simple organisms, bacterial photosynthesis, social networks, and contagion phenomena. He has published in top-tier scientific journals including Nature, Science, Science Advances and Physical Review Letters.
Outside work, Manrique enjoys spending time with family and friends. He is a passionate obstacle course racing athlete and a choral singer with special affinity for Gregorian chants. One of his favorite activities is drawing families of dragons and penguins with his children and nieces.
Awards and Honors
Education
Expertise
Professional Activities
Select Publications
1. P.D. Manrique, F. Huo, S. El Oud, N. F. Johnson. (2024) “Non-equilibrium physics of multi-species assembly applied to fibrils inhibition in biomolecular condensates and growth of online distrust”. Scientific Reports, 14, 21911, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72538-1
2. P.D. Manrique, et al. I. V. Leus, C. A. Lopez, J. Mehla, G. Malloci, S. Gervasoni, A. V. Vargiu, R. Kinthada, L. Herndon, N. W. Hengartner, J. K. Walker, V. V. Rybenkov, P. Ruggerone, H. I. Zgurskaya, S. Gnanakaran. (2024) “Predicting Permeation of compounds across the outer membrane of P. aeruginosa using molecular descriptors”, Communications Chemistry, 7, 84. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-024-01161-y
3. P.D. Manrique, F. Huo, S. El Oud, M Zheng, L. Illari, N.F. Johnson. (2023) “Shockwavelike behavior across social media”. Physical Review Letters, 130, 237401. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.237401
4. P.D. Manrique, S. Chakraborty, R. Henderson, R. J. Edwards, R. Mansbach, K. Nguyen, V. Stalls, C. Saunders, K. Mansouri, P. Acharya, B. Korber, S. Gnanakaran. (2023) “Network analysis uncovers the communication structure of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein identifying sites for immunogen design”. iScience, 26, 1. 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105855
5. N.F. Johnson, N. Velasquez, N. Johnson Restrepo, R. Leahy, N. Gabriel, S. El Oud, M. Zheng, P. Manrique, S. Wuchty, Y. Lupu. (2020) “The online competition between pro- and anti-vaccination views”. Nature, 582, 230-233 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2281-1
6. P.D. Manrique, M. Klein, Y Li, C. Xu, P.M. Hui, N.F. Johnson. (2019) “Getting closer to the goal by being less capable”. Science Advances, 5, eaau5902 10.1126/sciadv.aau5902
7. P.D. Manrique, M. Zheng, Z. Cao, E.M. Restrepo, N.F. Johnson. (2018) “Generalized gelation theory describes onset of online extremist support”. Physical Review Letters, 121 048301, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.048301
8. P. Manrique, Z. Cao, A. Gabriel, J. Horgan, P. Gill, H. Qi, E.M. Restrepo, D. Johnson, S. Wuchty, C. Song, N. Johnson. (2016) “Women’s connectivity in extreme networks”. Science Advances, 2, e1501742 DOI:10.1126/sciadv.1501742
9. N.F. Johnson, M. Zheng, Y. Vorobyeva, A. Gabriel, H. Qi, N. Velásquez, P. Manrique, D. Johnson, E. Restrepo, C. Song, S. Wuchty. (2016) “New ecology of adversarial aggregates: ISIS and beyond”. Science, 352, 1459-1463, DOI:10.1126/science.aaf0675
10. P.D. Manrique, F. Rodríguez, L. Quiroga, N.F. Johnson. (2015) “Nonequilibrium quantum systems: divergence between global and local descriptions”. Advances in Condensed Matter Physics, 615727, https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/615727
This session will demonstrate that practical risk management is for everyone, regardless of a formal program. Attendees will learn actionable and simple strategies that are easy to implement, enabling them to start immediately by focusing on their top risks to build greater operational resilience and ensure the sustained success of their auxiliary enterprises.
Michelle Powell serves as the pioneering Risk Manager at Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s sole 100% STEM-dedicated institution. Having been with the university for nearly 11 years, Michelle transitioned from a leadership role in Admissions in October 2023 to establish and evolve the risk management function from the ground up. In this solo capacity, Michelle builds robust frameworks for our dynamic, young university, overseeing our insurance portfolio, consulting on third-party and event risks, and developing critical campus-wide training programs. Michelle has obtained the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management certificate and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations. Her distinct background in mathematics and engineering, combined with extensive higher education leadership, brings an analytical and strategic approach enhancing the institution’s resilience.
