
Dr Simon T. Powers Contact and Biography Publications		Dr Simon T. Powers School of Electronics and Computer Science University of Southampton Southampton SO17 1BJ United Kingdom Position: Research staff in Science and Engineering of Natural Systems Group Extension: 28703 Telephone: Work (Voice): +44 (0)23 8059 8703 Email: stp2@ecs.soton.ac.uk URI: http://id.ecs.soton.ac.uk/person/24320 [browse] Interests: altruism, artificial life, bacterial biofilms, behavioural ecology, computational biology, cooperation, cultural evolution, ecosystem selection, evolution, evolutionary biology, evolutionary game theory, group selection, major evolutionary transitions, multi-level selection theory, philosophy of biology, population genetics, social behaviour, theoretical biology Biography My Bachelor and Master degrees were in Computer Science, with a focus on nature-inspired computational techniques. This has led me to an interest in developing computational and mathematical models of evolutionary dynamics in natural populations. I am presently working on models that consider the joint evolution of cooperative behaviour and traits that affect population structure, with a particular interest in how this can drive the transition to new levels of organisation and individuality in the biological hierarchy (the so-called major transitions in evolution). My Ph.D. thesis presents this work. Qualifications PhD Social Niche Construction: Evolutionary Explanations for Cooperative Group Formation (University of Southampton, 2010) MSc Natural Computation (University of Birmingham, 2006) BSc (Hons) Computer Science (University of Birmingham, 2005) Other Professional Activities Chair of Levels of Selection and Individuality in Evolution Workshop at ECAL 2009. Reviewer for Adaptive Behavior, Artificial Life, IEEE Intelligent Systems Magazine, Information Sciences and the International Journal of Modern Physics C. Former representative on the Graduate School Board. Conferences Attended Social systems: demographic and genetic issues (Socior), Paimpont, France, 11-15 October, 2010 10th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL 2009), Budapest, Hungary, 13-16 September, 2009 11th International Conference on Artificial Life (ALife XI), Winchester, UK, 5-8 August, 2008. 9th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL 2007), Lisbon, Portugal, 10-14 September, 2007.

Dr Simon T. Powers

School of Electronics and Computer Science
University of Southampton
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
United Kingdom

Position: Research staff in Science and Engineering of Natural Systems Group
Extension: 28703
Telephone: +44 (0)23 8059 8703
Email: stp2@ecs.soton.ac.uk
URI: http://id.ecs.soton.ac.uk/person/24320 [browse]

Interests: altruism, artificial life, bacterial biofilms, behavioural ecology, computational biology, cooperation, cultural evolution, ecosystem selection, evolution, evolutionary biology, evolutionary game theory, group selection, major evolutionary transitions, multi-level selection theory, philosophy of biology, population genetics, social behaviour, theoretical biology

Biography

My Bachelor and Master degrees were in Computer Science, with a focus on nature-inspired computational techniques. This has led me to an interest in developing computational and mathematical models of evolutionary dynamics in natural populations. I am presently working on models that consider the joint evolution of cooperative behaviour and traits that affect population structure, with a particular interest in how this can drive the transition to new levels of organisation and individuality in the biological hierarchy (the so-called major transitions in evolution). My Ph.D. thesis presents this work.

Qualifications

PhD Social Niche Construction: Evolutionary Explanations for Cooperative Group Formation (University of Southampton, 2010)
MSc Natural Computation (University of Birmingham, 2006)
BSc (Hons) Computer Science (University of Birmingham, 2005)

Other Professional Activities

Chair of Levels of Selection and Individuality in Evolution Workshop at ECAL 2009.
Reviewer for Adaptive Behavior, Artificial Life, IEEE Intelligent Systems Magazine, Information Sciences and the International Journal of Modern Physics C.
Former representative on the Graduate School Board.

Conferences Attended

Social systems: demographic and genetic issues (Socior), Paimpont, France, 11-15 October, 2010
10th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL 2009), Budapest, Hungary, 13-16 September, 2009
11th International Conference on Artificial Life (ALife XI), Winchester, UK, 5-8 August, 2008.
9th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL 2007), Lisbon, Portugal, 10-14 September, 2007.