Core Faculty
Faculy members and research scientists who have full or joint appointments in CSCS.
Adamic, Lada
Assistant Professor, School of Information & Complex Systems
Research Interests: I study the structure and dynamics of social and information networks, with a particular emphasis on information diffusion, expertise sharing, and online communities.
More information: http://www.ladamic.com/
Bruch, Elizabeth
Assistant Professor, Sociology & Complex Systems
Research Interests: My work spans a broad array of population phenomena in which the actions of individuals and other units (such as families, couples or neighborhoods) are dynamically interdependent. Most of this work blends statistical and agent-based methods to examine the relationship between individuals' decisions about where to live and patterns of residential segregation. I am currently working on problems related to income inequality and income segregation, statistical modeling of residential choice, and the role of scale (population and group size) in social dynamics. I also recently started a new project on mate preferences and marriage market dynamics.
Deegan, Robert
Assistant Professor, Physics & Complex Systems
Research interests: Professor Deegan studies dynamical transitions though table-top experiments with the aim of understanding the origin of this behavior in each specific case and in general. His research covers a broad range of phenomena from drying drops to bursting balloons to vibrated slurries. Currently, he is investigating drop impact and the instability that produces the famous Edgerton crown, the ability of vibrated drops to climb vertical surfaces, the mechanics of seed catapulting plants, and hysteretic rheologies.
More information: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rddeegan/
Doering, Charles
Professor, Mathematics, Physics & Complex Systems
Research Interests: My work is generally focused on the analysis of mathematical models of physical systems with the aim of extracting reliable, rigorous, and useful predictions. These models range from stochastic dynamical systems arising in biology, chemistry and physics, to systems of nonlinear partial differential equations such as those which (ostensibly) describe turbulent fluid flows. The techniques I use range from the development of exact solutions, to modern applied mathematics and careful numerical computations and simulations, to abstract functional and probabilistic analysis --- often a combination of all three approaches.
More information: http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/people/facultyDetail.php?uniqname=doering
Newman, Mark
Professor, Physics & Complex Systems
Research Interests: My research is on the structure and function of networks, particularly social and information networks, which are studied using a combination of empirical methods, analysis, and computer simulation. Among other things, I have investigated scientific coauthorship networks, citation networks, email networks, friendship networks, epidemiological contact networks, and animal social networks; I've studied fundamental network properties such as degree distributions, centrality measures, assortative mixing, vertex similarity, and community structure, and made analytic or computer models of disease propagation, friendship formation, the spread of computer viruses, the Internet, and network navigation algorithms.
More information: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/
Page, Scott
Professor, Political Science & Complex Systems
Research Interests: My research focuses on diversity, complexity, incentives, and institutions. My recent work has focused on the effects of diversity and variation within complex systems. Does diversity make a system more productive, more robust?
More information: http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~spage/
Pascual, Mercedes
Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) & Complex Systems (dry)
Research Interests: I am a theoretical ecologist interested in population and community dynamics. My research areas encompass:
(1) The spatio-temporal dynamics of nonlinear ecological systems for antagonistic interactions (predator-prey, host-parasite, and disturbance-recovery), particularly approaches to scale-up systems from small, individual, levels to more aggregated, population, levels, and approaches to incorporate implicitly in simple (highly aggregated) temporal models the effect of smaller scales. Similar questions are being addressed on the dynamics of infectious diseases in networks.
(2) The response of nonlinear ecological systems to environmental variability and the application of nonlinear time series analysis to identify key environmental drivers and to predict responses. In particular, the nonlinear dynamics of infectious diseases in response to climate variability and climate change, including aspects of evolutionary change in pathogens. The main disease under study is cholera, but work is also underway on malaria and influenza.
(3) The relationship between structure and dynamics in large networks of ecological interactions (consumer-resource and parasitic links).
More information: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/eeb/people/pascual/index.html
Riolo, Rick
Associate Research Scientist & Adjunct Lecturer, Complex Systems
Research Interests:
(1) how evolutionary algorithms work, e.g., when and how recombination is a useful evolutionary operator;
(2) how interaction topology affects the ability of populations to establish and maintain cooperation and other group structures and behavior;
(3) the use of evolutionary algorithms as part of general learning systems, e.g., Holland-type classifier systems; (4) how coordinated behavior emerges from populations of agents with co-evolving models of each other
More information: http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~rlr/
Rohani, Pej
Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) & Complex Systems
Research Interests: Research in the Rohani lab focuses on population biology, usually of host-natural enemy interactions, with a view to understanding fundamental processes in population ecology and evolution. First, we use a combination of mathematical modeling and data analysis to understand the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases of humans, including childhood infections and emerging infectious diseases. Second, we use a combination of laboratory experiments and statistical and mathematical models to understand the evolution, persistence and competitive coexistence of insect-parasitoid-pathogen assemblages.
More information: http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~rohani/
Salmeen, Irv
Research Scientist & Adjunct Lecturer, Complex Systems
Research Interests: Sustainable energy, agent-based models of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, social systems and energy.
Sander, Len
Professor, Physics & Complex Systems (dry)
Research Interests: Pattern formation, specifically dendritic and fractal growth, dynamic fracture, river networks, and chemical waves.
More information: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lsander/
Simon, Carl
Professor, Mathematics, Public Policy & Complex Systems (dry)
Research Interests: Theory and application of dynamical systems, especially in modeling the epidemiology of HIV and influenza at the population and at the cellular level. Compartmental systems in biology and ecology. The evolution of viruses and bacteria, of HMOs, and of animal aggregation.
More information: http://www.fordschool.umich.edu/faculty/Carl_Simon
