People

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

The School of Mathematics and Statistics is one of the largest in the UK, and is made up of the departments of Applied Mathematics, Probability & Statistics and Pure Mathematics. The staffing in the School includes 21 Professors, four readers, seven Senior Lecturers, more than 15 Lecturers, 18 research staff and a substantial cohort of part-time teachers.

All three departments have international reputations in research. The Department of Pure Mathematics has particular strengths in topology, algebra, number theory and geometry. The Department is host to the GATA centre which organises lectures by distinguished visitors and is directed by Professor Tom Bridgeland. For more information on the Department’s research activity, including GATA, visit http://www.maths.dept.shef.ac.uk/puremaths/group_list.php. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, the percentages of the Department’s submitted outputs rated at 4*, 3*,2* and 1* were 15, 40, 45 and 0 respectively. The main strengths of the Department of Probability & Statistics are in probability, Bayesian statistics, statistical modelling and applied statistics. In the 2008 RAE, the percentages of the Department’s submitted outputs rated at 4*, 3*,2* and 1* were 10, 50, 30 and 10 respectively. The Department of Applied Mathematics is strong not only in traditional areas of the subject, such as fluid mechanics, but also in interdisciplinary areas such as solar physics, particle astrophysics, environmental dynamics and control theory. In the 2008 RAE, the percentages of the Department’s submitted outputs rated at 4*, 3*,2* and 1* were 10, 35, 50 and 5 respectively.
 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Professor Chris Cannings
Director of Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Department of Probability & Statistics
School of Mathematics
University of Sheffield

Room K8, Hicks Building

Hounsfield Road
Sheffield S3 7RH

T: (Office) +44(0)114) 222 3904
F: (Office) +44(0)114  222 3809
E: c.cannings@sheffield.ac.uk 
WWW: http://www.shef.ac.uk/medicine/staff/cannings.html
 

Chris Cannings is an  Emeritus Professor in the Department of Probability & Statistics, School of Mathematics & Statistics. His research interests include deterministic and stochastic modelling in evolutionary biology, population, molecular and human genetics. Current research projects lie within the areas of evolutionary games, theory of random graphs, combinatorics and stochastic processes. He has published well over one hundred papers and one book (Genealogical and Genetic Structure, CUP with Elizabeth Thompson). He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Myriad Genetics, an Expert for INSERM, a member of the EPRSC Peer Review Panel and of the MRC Panel of Experts. He is a joint editor (with David Balding and Martin Bishop) of the Handbook of Statistical Genetics (Wiley, Chichester) currently in its third edition.

CO INVESTIGATOR

Dr Nick Monk
Division of Applied Mathematics
School of Mathematical Sciences
University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham
NG7 2RD

Tel: 0115 84 66166
Fax: 0115 95 14951

email: nick.monk@nottingham.ac.uk
www: http://www.maths.nottingham.ac.uk/personal/nm
 

Dr. Nick Monk is a Senior lecturer based in Nottingham.  His research is centered on the use of mathematical modelling in biology and medicine. Particular areas of focus have been models of basic mechanisms of intercellular signalling, and pattern formation in multicellular systems. More recently, he has been investigating the effects of time delays in models of gene networks and the structure of protein-protein interaction networks in cells.

COLLABORATOR

Dr Jonathan H Jordon
Department of Probability & Statistics
Hicks Building
Hounsfield Road
Sheffield.S3 7RH

T: (Office) +44(0)114 222 3873

F: (Office) +44(0)114 222 3809
E: jonathan.jordan@shef.ac.uk
 

Dr Jonathan Jordon studied Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, obtaining a BA in 1998 and a certificate of Advanced Study (Part III) in 1999.  He started a PhD at Bristol, but transferred to Oxford in 2000, and obtained a DPhil in 2003, shortly after becoming a Lecturer in Sheffield.  His research interests are in probability theory, in particular random graphs and the study of graphs associated with random fractals.

PROJECT COORDINATOR

Liz Jennings
Department of Probability & Statistics

School of Mathematics
University of Sheffield
Room K24 Hicks Building

Hounsfield Road
Sheffield S3 7RH
T: (Office) +44(0)114 222 3727
F: (Office) +44(0)114 222 3809
E: amorph@sheffield.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.amorph.group.shef.ac.uk/
 

Mrs Liz Jennings has worked for the University of Sheffield for 8 years previously as a Project Administrator on a European grant awarded by the EC. She has now become part-time Project Coordinator based at Sheffield for the next 4 years and will coordinate a team of scientists who have been awarded a £1.8 million grant by EPSRC into Amorphous computing, random graphs and complex biological systems. These include the University of Sheffield/Nottingham, University of Leeds, Royal Holloway – London, Kings College - London, University of Southampton and British Telecom in Ipswich.
 

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Dr David Irons

Department of Probability & Statistics
School of Mathematics
University of Sheffield

Room K16, Hicks Building

Hounsfield Road
Sheffield S3 7RH
T: 44(0)114 222 3885

F: 44(0)114 222 3809
E: d.irons@sheffield.ac.uk

Dr David Irons took the position of Research Associate on the 1st May 2006.  His current research at the University of Sheffield looks at dynamical processes on networks, in particular ·  how such dynamical systems can be broken up into smaller meaningful subsystems  (acting on sub-networks)  ·  how structural features of the network affect the dynamics. This research primarily uses Boolean network models to try and capture the logic underlying the dynamics and focuses on the dynamical properties of genetic regulatory systems; including the yeast cell cycle, Drosophila segment polarity and Arabidopsis development.  In this project he will be researching both random graphs and genetic regulatory networks, to see how certain networks are capable of supporting dynamical processes in a robust manner. i.e. Carrying out the same task in an unpredictable environment. These results will then assist the design and construction of amorphous computing networks.
 

Dr Richard Southwell

Department of Probability & Statistics
School of Mathematics
University of Sheffield

Room K16, Hicks Building

Hounsfield Road
Sheffield S3 7RH
T: 44(0)114 222 3885

F: 44(0)114 222 3809
E: r.southwell@sheffield.ac.uk

Mariusz Jacyno
Department of Probability & Statistics
School of Mathematics
University of Sheffield
Room K24 Hicks Building
Hounsfield Road
Sheffield S3 7RH
T: (Office) +44(0)114 222 3727
F: (Office) +44(0)114 222 3809
 

FORMER  PHD STUDENT (NOW GRADUATED)

Dr Orestis Chrysafis

Orestis Chrysafis joined us in September 2006 for three years to undertake his PhD in Mathematics in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield.  He graduate in Mathematics in 2004 at the University of Patras, Greece, and obtained his MSc in Statistics in 2006 from University College Dublin.  His past minor research work included applications of robust techniques of non-stationary time series decomposition, for which he was awarded a prize in Conference in Applied Statistics in Ireland 2006.  His current research interests focus on weighted scale-free self-organized networks generated by local random walks. After gaining his PhD he undertook an outside position with a private company in London.  He remains a key collaborator with the group.

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Informatics Research Institute, University of Leeds: The Informatics Research Institute is a newly established centre promoting cross-disciplinary informatics research, with 10 staff, 4 postdocs, 18 doctoral students, and a number of associates, administrators, and visiting members. It is located within the University’s 5-rated School of Computing, which has recently been made a Centre of Excellence in e-Science, and includes world-class expertise in graph theory, biosystems, artificial intelligence, and grid computing.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Dr Netta Cohen
School of Computer/Informatics Research Institute
EC Stoner Building
Leeds LS2 9JT
T: (Office) 44(0)113 343 6789
F: (Office) 44(0)113 343 5468
E: netta@comp.leeds.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/netta/ 
...

Dr. Netta Cohen is Lecturer in the Biosystems group. Her main expertise lies in biological time-series analysis, complex synchronisation,23,24 and deterministic and stochastic modelling of biological and bio-inspired systems.1,2,24 Her research combines tools from dynamical systems theory and knowledge of biological networks to study complex behaviour, both theoretically and experimentally.

CO INVESTIGATOR

Prof Martin Dyer
School of Computing
Room 8.05
EC Stoner Building
Leeds LS2 9JT
T: (Office) (44)113 343 5442
F: (Office) (44)113 343 5468
E: dyer@comp.leeds.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/sis/ext/staff_pub.cgi/dyer.html?cmd=displaystaff&pagetype=fac&defunit=ALL

Prof. Martin Dyer is leader of the Theoretical Computer Science research group in the School of Computing at the University of Leeds. He researches principally in the design and analysis of randomized algorithms13–15 and its associated complexity theory. He also works in mathematical programming, computational geometry, random graph theory15,16 and computational biology.17,18 He is the author of well over 100 papers in these fields, and was awarded (with Kannan and Frieze) the AMS/MPS Fulkerson prize for work on volume computation in 1991. In 2002 he co-organised an Isaac Newton Institute half-year programme on these topics. He is a member of the EPSRC panel, and on the editorial board of J. Discrete Algorithms and SIAM J. on Optimization.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (NEW LOCATION)

Dr James Watson
School of Computing
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
T:  +44(0)113 343 4699
E:  jwatson@comp.leeds.ac.uk

James Watson is a Research Fellow in the School of Computing at the University of Leeds.   Previously he worked with the Australian Research Councils Centre for Complex Systems in Brisbane, developing an interactive model of artificial gene regulation and plant morphology.  Interests include the capture and use of patterns in scientific modelling, interactive distributed computing, and network inference

PHD STUDENT

Mohanaraj Velum
School of Computing
Room 8.05
EC Stoner Building
Leeds LS2 9JT
E: mohan@comp.leeds.ac.uk

PHD STUDENT

Andrew Handley
School of Computing
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
T: +44(0) 113 343 4699
E: jobriath@comp.leeds.ac.uk

Velumailum Mohanaraj (Mohan) started his PhD in Computer Science in October 2007. He obtained his BSc in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Moratuwa , Sri Lanka in 2003. He worked in the software industry for two years,and then he did his MSc in Advanced Computing at Kings College, London in 2006. After being in the industry for another year, he has started his PhD programme. He will work on the AMORPH project through funding from an Overseas Research Scholarship (ORS) and an International Research Scholarship (IRS). His current research is in games on graphs and he is co-supervised by Martin Dyer, Netta Cohen and Colin Cooper at Kings College, London.

Andrew Handley began his PhD studies shortly after completing his undergraduate degree in Computer Science at Leeds.  His research interests include self-organising and peer-to-peer networks, and his current work has focused upon distributed operations that yield random regular topologies.

Peter Appleby

FORMER PHD STUDENT (NOW GRADUATED)

Margaritis Voliotis
School of Computing
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
T: +44(0) 113 343 6804
E: mar@comp.leeds.ac.uk

ROYAL HOLLOWAY - LONDON

School of Biological Sciences & Dept. of Computer Science, Royal Holloway, University of London: The School of Biological Sciences together with the Department of Computer Science are engaged in interdisciplinary studies at the interface of biology, mathematics and computer science.  This involves mathematical modelling and computational biology, bioinformatics, and neuroscience.  Both departments received a rating of 5 in the last RAE.  The computer Science is well known for research in machine learning.  There are over 100 members of staff, (academics and research funded) and approximately 65 research postgraduate student in the two departments

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Professor Vincent Jansen
School of Biological Sciences & Dept. of Computer Science
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham,
Surrey TW20 0EX
T: (Office)44(0)1784 443179
F: (Office)44(0)1784 470756
E: Vincent.jansen@rhul.ac.uk
www.rhul.ac.uk/Biological-Sciences/AcademicStaff/Jansen/
 

Prof. Vincent Jansen is Professor of Mathematical Biology and Head of the Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour. His research focuses on the mathematical modelling of the dynamics of, and evolution in, biological and biomedical systems.  He has published extensively on various issues in immunology, ecology and epidemiology ranging from the evolution of language to the kinetics of prion molecules.

CO INVESTIGATOR

Dr Chris Watkins
Department of Computer Science
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham,
Surrey TW20 0EX
T: (Office) 44(0)1784 443419
E: c.watkins@cs.rhul.ac.uk

Dr. Chris Watkins obtained his BA in Maths, Philosophy, and Psychology at Cambridge in 1980, and his PhD in Reinforcement Learning at Cambridge in 1989. He has worked at Philips Research Laboratories (1985- 1990), AT&T Bell Labs (1995), and for several fund management companies. He joined the Computer Science Department at Royal Holloway in 1997, where he is now a Reader in Artificial Intelligence. His main current research interest is information-theoretic approaches to evolutionary computation.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Dr John Bryden

School of Biological Sciences & Dept of Computer

Science

Royal Holloway, University of London

Egham

Surrey TW20 0EX

T: 44(0)1784 414369

F: 44(0)1784 470756

E: john.bryden@rhul.ac.uk

John Bryden's research interests are based around complex systems in biology. He did a PhD in the evolution of social organisms at the University of Leeds, studying the Major Evolutionary Transitions and considering why an organism might stop reproducing on its own to reproduce as part of a larger collective. His other work includes modelling the neurological locomotion controllers for the nematode worm C. elegans. Currently his research looks at the role of community structure in the evolution of social behaviour in aphids.
 

FORMER PHD STUDENT (NOW GRADUATED)

Sebastian Funk
School of Biological Sciences & Dept. of Computer Science Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham,
Surrey TW20 0EX
E: s.funk@rhul.ac.uk
 

Sebastian Funk studied Physics in Berlin and Perugia and graduated in 2005 at the Humboldt University of Berlin.  Subsequently, he did research in astrophysics in the Berlin H.E.S.S. group until joining the Amorph project in September 2006.  His interests lie in the understanding and modelling of complex biological systems, and he is currently investigating the dynamics of disease spread on networks.
 

KINGS COLLEGE - LONDON

CO INVESTIGATOR

Dr Colin Desmond Cooper
Department of Computer Science,
Room 7F, Main Building
Strand
London WC2R 2LS
T: (Office) 44(0)20 7848 2002
E: ccooper@dcs.kcl.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.dcs.kcl.ac.uk/staff/ccooper

 

Dr. Colin Cooper is a Lecturer in Computer Science and researches random structures and algorithms. Particular interests are random graphs, the probabilistic method, properties of discrete random structures, random walks and randomised algorithms and the probabilistic analysis of algorithms. He has ongoing national and international collaborations on graph models and algorithms for the www, cover time of random walks (innovative models of random processes), robust P2P networks, analysis of ad-hoc radio networks, and models of protein interaction using the duplication model random graph process.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

CO INVESTIGATOR

Dr Seth Bullock
School of Electronics and Computer Science
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
T: (Office) 44(0)23 8059 5776
E: sqb@ecs.soton.ac.uk
WWW: http://ECS - Dr Seth Bullock  

Dr. Seth Bullock now at Southampton, previously headed Leeds’ Biosystems group, applying computational modelling and optimisation techniques to biological and biologically-inspired systems and his work focuses on interdisciplinary research at the boundary between the computational, biological and psychological sciences, e.g., see work on neutral networks in evolutionary and adaptive systems.3,4  He was PI of EPSRC-funded research cluster on Simple Models of Complex Networks which has generated this, and other, bids, and recently prepared a briefing document on Complexity and Emergent Behaviour in IT Systems for the DTi. He is associate editor of Adaptive Behaviour.

POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW

Dr Nic Geard
School of Electronics and Computer Science
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
E:nlg@ecs.soton.ac.uk

Nic Geard joined the AMORPH project as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Science and Engineering of Natural Systems (SENSe) group at the University of Southampton.  Prior to joining this project he completed his PhD with Professor Janet Wiles in the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.  His PhD research involved developing computational simulation models to address topics in evolutionary developmental biology; specifically, to explore how constraints arising from the intrinsic dynamics of developmental gene networks could affect the direction of evolution.  His current research interests include continuing to investigate the role that physical, organisational and dynamic constraints play in the evolutionary design (natural or artificial) of decentralised biological and engineered networks.

KHALIFA UNIVERSITY, ABU DHABI

PARTNER

Dr Fabrice Saffre

Principal Researcher

E: fabrice.saffre@kustar.ac.ae

Fabrice can now be contacted on the email address above or via Liz Jennings amorph@sheffield.ac.uk

Dr Fabrice Saffre is a Chief Scientist in the ETISALAT BT Innovation Centre (EBTIC), Kalifa University for Science Technology and Research (Abu Dhabi, UAE). He received his Ph.D. degree in theoretical biology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium) in 2000. His primary area of expertise is the modeling, analysis and exploitation of emergent collective phenomena, both in natural and artificial complex systems. Prior to present employment, he has been working in British Telecommunications Research at Adastral Park (Ipswich, U.K), generating over 15 patents, mostly in the area of nature-inspired computing and autonomic communications. More recently, he has leveraged his cross-disciplinary experience of decentralized resource management to tackle optimization problems in smart energy grids. An internationally recognized expert in his field, Dr Saffre has been actively involved in organizing various scientific and technical events such as the IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing (ICAC) and the IEEE International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO),Throughout his industrial career, he has maintained strong links with Academia in Europe and in the United States, taking a leading role in several national and international collaborative projects. His expertise is regularly called upon by organizations such as the European Commission and the British Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.