Welcome to my home page!
I am an independent researcher working in the fields of artificial intelligence, artificial life and computer science, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. My current work is mostly focussed on web-based research and applications of artificial life technology. I am also an external examiner for the University of London International Programmes and an associate member of the York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis (YCCSA) at the University of York.
Further biographical details
I spent most of 2014 in Australia, working as a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University in Melbourne. During my time there, I developed Omnigram Explorer, a simple interactive tool for exploring complex computational models. After returning to the UK, I spent 6 months in 2015 working as a research associate on the EvoEvo project in the York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis at the University of York before returning to work independently in Edinburgh.
From mid 2010-early 2014 I worked in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London, as the Deputy Course Director of the University of London's International Programmes in Computing (where we offered degrees in CIS and Creative Computing). The programmes had around 1200 students across the world, and my role involved both supporting current students and affiliate institutions, and also developing new offerings and new markets.
From May 2005 until late 2009, I was Chief Technical Officer, and co-founder, of Timberpost Ltd, a company developing Artificial Intelligence-based software for fund management. We worked closely with a number of large banks and financial firms in London, Europe and the USA.
I spent most of the ten years before that doing academic research in artificial intelligence and artificial life. I have strong interests in biologically-inspired systems, and my PhD was in the evolution of self-replicating software agents.
From January 2002 until May 2005, I was a Research Fellow in School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Within the school, I spent most of that time in the Mobile Robotics Research group of the Institute of Perception, Action and Behaviour, working on the Hydra project, which was an EU-funded effort to develop radically new, biologically-inspired technologies for building robust, reconfigurable and self-repairing robots. During the last six months there I moved to the Institute for Communicating and Collaborative Systems (ICCS), to work on the EC-funded JAST (Joint Action Science and Technology) Project. This involved programming an experimental platform involving eye trackers and a virtual environment (user documentation for my software is available here, and system documentation here).
I have also held research positions at IC-CAVE, University of Abertay Dundee (a computer games research group), and at MathEngine PLC, Oxford (a physics engine middleware supplier for games companies), and commercial positions at Quantec Investment Technology in London, and IBM United Kingdom headquarters in Portsmouth, as well as working as a freelance programmer and web developer.
I hold an MA in Natural Sciences (specialising in Experimental Psychology) from Cambridge University, and an MSc (with distinction) and PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh University.
Other things that keep me occupied include:
- I am a board member of the International Society for Artificial Life.
- I am on the editorial board of the open-access journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI (Computational Intelligence).
- I am an examiner for the University of London International Programmes BSc and Diploma courses in Computing and Information Systems and Creative Computing.
- I am an occasional reviewer for the following journals: Adaptive Behavior, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Life, BioSystems, Connection Science, Ecological Informatics, Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines, IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Theory in Biosciences
- I am (was/will be) a member of the programme committee for many conferences.
Details of programme committee membership
- International Conference on Artificial Life: ALIFE 15 (2016), ALIFE 14 (2014), ALIFE 13 (2012), ALIFE 12 (2010), ALIFE 11 (2008), ALIFE 10 (2006), ALIFE 9 (2004), ALIFE 8 (2002), ALIFE 7 (2000)
- Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference: GECCO 2016, GECCO 2015, GECCO 2014, GECCO 2013, GECCO 2012, GECCO 2011, GECCO 2010, GECCO 2009, GECCO 2008, GECCO 2007, GECCO 2006, GECCO 2005
- European Conference on Artificial Life: ECAL 2015, ECAL 2013, ECAL 2011, ECAL 2007, ECAL 2005
- International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior: SAB2014, SAB2012, SAB2010, SAB'08, SAB'06, SAB'04, SAB'02
- IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation: IEEE CEC 2011, IEEE CEC 2010, IEEE CEC 2009
- IEEE Symposium on Artificial Life: IEEE ALIFE 2011, IEEE ALIFE 2009
- Other conferences: ALIA 2016, ALIA 2014, CoSMoS 2015 ACALCI 2015, Bionetics 2011, Bio-ADIT2006, Bio-ADIT2004, evoMUSART2004, Workshop on Morphologies, Motion and Cognition
- I have organised or co-organised various workshops and other events over the years:
- I co-organised the Second Workshop on Open-Ended Evolution (OEE2) at the ALIFE XV conference (Cancún, Mexico, 2016).
- I co-organised the Workshop on Open-Ended Evolution (OEE1) at the ECAL 2015 conference (York, UK, 2015).
- I organised the Artificial Life and the Web (WebAL1) workshop at ALIFE 14 (New York, 2014).
Details of previous workshop organisation
- I co-organised a track on open-ended evolution at the Eleventh International Conference on Artificial Life (Winchester, UK, 2008).
- I organised a workshop on the Co-evolution of Brains and Bodies at the Seventh International Conference on Artificial Life (Portland, Oregon, 2000).
- I developed (in late 2012) and maintain (ongoing) the new website for the International Society for Artificial Life.
- I am an occasional reviewer of proposals for various national and international scientific grant awarding bodies.
Here's a handy map of the rest of this site: