NORTHWESTERN INSTITUTEON COMPLEX SYSTEMS

Professor Abram's lab, the MMCS lab is focused on the study of complex systems—where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  They use the tools of nonlinear dynamics to create and analyze tractable mathematical models for a wide range of phenomena.  The goal is to gain and share insight into the world through the application of mathematics.

Daniel Abrams Named NICO Codirector - McCormick Engineering News

Professor Uzzi's research uses social network science and computational methods to explain outstanding human achievement. In addition to co-directing NICO, at Kellogg he is a Co-Director of the Ryan Institute on Complexity.

Professor Amaral conducts and directs research that provides insight into the emergence, evolution, and stability of complex social and biological systems. His research aims to address some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity, including the mitigation of errors in healthcare settings, the characterization of the conditions fostering innovation and creativity, or the growth limits imposed by sustainability.

The Andersen laboratory uses quantitative and molecular genetics to understand the polymorphisms that underlie multigenic traits of medical, ecological, and evolutionary importance.

Professor Birkett's research interests include: social and contextual drivers of health disparities; social marginalization; HIV; network analysis; methods for social and contextual data capture; and transdisciplinary collaborations.

Professor Braun is a computational biologist with an interest in the development of methods for integrative, systems-level analysis of high-dimensional ("big") *omic data. These methods incorporate bioinformatic information with experimental data to characterize the networks of interactions that lead to the emergence of complex phenotypes, particularly cancers.

Professor Bustamante is interested in large-scale, longitudinal experimental research on computer networks and distributed systems.

Professor Carruthers' research interests include: comparative sociology; economy and society; the sociology of law; and the sociology of organizations.

Professor Colyvas' research interests include: organizations and entrepreneurship; institutions and networks; comparing public, private, and non-profit forms of organizing; university-industry interfaces; and public and private science.

Professor Contractor investigates factors that lead to the formation, maintenance, and dissolution of dynamically linked social and knowledge networks in a wide variety of contexts including communities of practice in business, translational science and engineering communities, public health networks and virtual worlds.

Professor Franconeri studies visual thinking and communication: how it works, and how we can make it work better. At his Visual Thinking Laboratory, a team of researchers explore how leveraging the visual system - the largest single system in your brain - can help people think, remember, and communicate more efficiently.

Professor Freeman's research interests include: nonlinear control theory; robust control, optimal control; nonlinear system theory; and control and estimation for multi-agent systems.

Professor Iravani's research interests include the applications of stochastic processes and queuing theory in the design and control of manufacturing, service operations and health care systems and supply chains.

Professor Kath's research interests include: computational neuroscience, action potential propagation and dendritic integration in neurons; predictive modeling of cancer and epigenetic networks; optical fibers and waveguides, polarization mode dispersion, importance sampling and rare event simulation in lightwave systems, optical solitons, parametric optical amplifiers, linear and nonlinear wave propagation; and nonlinear dynamics, asymptotic and singular perturbation methods.

Robotics, mechanics, planning, and control of robotic manipulation; self-organized systems, particularly decentralized control of mobile sensor networks; motion planning and control for underactuated dynamic systems; physical human/robot interaction, industrial applications.

Professor MacIver believes that the body’s mechanical intelligence can be just as important, if not more important, than what’s going on in your head. His primary scientific efforts are in understanding how animal mechanics and sensory abilities fit together, and he pursues that problem using approaches from neuroscience, animal behavior studies, robotics, mathematical modeling, and computer simulations. In engineering, he has pioneered the development of a new sensor inspired by the ability of certain fish to sense using a self-generated electric field, and highly maneuverable propulsion systems based on fish locomotion.

Professor Motter's research is focused on the dynamical behavior of complex systems and complex networks. In particular, in recent work Motter and his collaborators have established conditions for the synchronization of power grids and other complex networks, have developed the concept of synthetic rescue in network biology, have designed the first class of metamaterials that exhibit longitudinal negative compressibility, have developed methods for the control the nonlinear dynamics of complex networks, including cascade failures in distributed systems, and have investigated implications of these methods for the recovery of lost function in biological, ecological, and physical networks.

The Mrksich Group uses the tools of organic chemistry, materials science and biochemistry to develop new approaches to studying and controlling molecular function.

Professor Murphey's research focuses on computational methods in dynamics and control. The group focuses on computational models of embedded control, biomechanical simulation, dynamic exploration, and hybrid control. Much of the work uses structured integration (numerical techniques specifically suited to mechanical systems) to ensure stability and robustness of the numerical technique.

Dean Ottino’s experimental and theoretical work unveiled the connection between chaos and mixing of fluids and opened multiple connections.

Professor Szleifer's work is aimed at the fundamental understanding of the properties of complex molecular systems that encompass problems at the interface between medicine, biology, chemistry, physics and materials science.

Professor Wang current research focus is on Science of Science, a quest to turn the scientific methods and curiosities upon ourselves, hoping to use and develop tools from complexity sciences and artificial intelligence to broadly explore the opportunities for innovation and promises of prosperity offered by the recent data explosion in science. At Kellogg, he is a Co-Director of the Ryan Institute on Complexity, and the Director of the Center for Science of Science and Innovation (CSSI).

Uri Wilensky is a mathematician, educator, learning technologist and computer scientist. He is involved in designing, deploying and researching learning technologies, especially for mathematics and science education. Much of his work of late has focused on the design of computer-based modeling and simulation languages, including networked collaborative simulations. He is very interested in the changing content of curriculum in the context of ubiquitous computation. A particular interest is in complexity and systems thinking.