Mark A. O'Neill
Encyclopedia
Mark A. O'Neill is an English biologist
and computer scientist
with interests in artificial intelligence
, systems biology
, complex systems
and image analysis
. He is the creator and lead programmer on a number of computational projects including the DAISY
automated species identification
system and PUPS P3
.
and at Sheffield, Cambridge and London
Universities.
and biologically inspired computing. In particular, he has attempted to answer the question can one create software agents which are capable of carrying a useful computational payload which respond to their environment with the flexibility of a living organism
?
He has also investigated how computational methods may be used to analyze biological and quasi biological systems for example; ecosystems and economies.
He is also interested in ethology
, especially the emergent social ecosystems which occur as a result of social networking on the internet. His recent projects include the use of artificial intelligence techniques to look at complex socio-economic data He has also self-published
on the evolution of sex
and the convergent nature of economies and ecologies
On the computer science front he continues to develop and contribute to a number of other open source
and commercial software projects and is involved in the design of cluster/parallel computer hardware via his company; Tumbling Dice Ltd. Long-running projects include DAISY
, PUPS P3
, Cryopid, ITG digital terrain model generation system
and Sugarscape
.
Dr O'Neill has been a keen naturalist since childhood. In addition to his interests in complex systems and computer science he is fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and an expert in the rearing and ecology of hawk moths.
He is also interested in the use of so called "smart field" technology to monitor ecosystems and has been involved in projects at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
looking at the automatic tracking of bumblebees
, and other insects using vision, and using both network analysis and remote sensing
techniques to monitor the health of ecosystems.
He has also been involved in both computational neuroscience
and systems biology
, the former association resulting in many papers while working at Oxford. Work in the latter area led to the successful flotation in 2007 of a systems biology company, e-Therapeutics PLC where Dr O'Neill was a senior scientist and assisted with the establishment of the company.
In addition to being a fellow of The Royal Entomological Society, Dr O'Neill is a fellow of the British Computer Society
, The Institute of Engineering and Technology
and The Royal Astronomical Society
. He was also one of the recipients of the BCS Award for Computing in 1992.
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
with interests in artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, systems biology
Systems biology
Systems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...
, complex systems
Complex systems
Complex systems present problems in mathematical modelling.The equations from which complex system models are developed generally derive from statistical physics, information theory and non-linear dynamics, and represent organized but unpredictable behaviors of systems of nature that are considered...
and image analysis
Image analysis
Image analysis is the extraction of meaningful information from images; mainly from digital images by means of digital image processing techniques...
. He is the creator and lead programmer on a number of computational projects including the DAISY
Digital Automated Identification SYstem (DAISY)
Digital Automated Identification SYstem is an automated species identification system optimised for the rapid screening of invertebrates by non-experts ....
automated species identification
Automated species identification
Automated species identification is a method of making the expertise of taxonomists available to ecologists, parataxonomists and others via computers, PDA's and other digital technology.- Introduction :...
system and PUPS P3
PUPS P3
PUPS/P3 is an implementation of an organic computing environment for Linux which provides support for the implementation of low level persistent software agents....
.
Education and Background
Educated at The King's School, GranthamThe King's School, Grantham
The King's School is a British grammar school located in the market town of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England, and one of the oldest schools in the UK.-History:...
and at Sheffield, Cambridge and London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
Universities.
Research interests
His interests lie at the interface of biology and computing. He has worked in the areas of artificial lifeArtificial life
Artificial life is a field of study and an associated art form which examine systems related to life, its processes, and its evolution through simulations using computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline was named by Christopher Langton, an American computer scientist, in 1986...
and biologically inspired computing. In particular, he has attempted to answer the question can one create software agents which are capable of carrying a useful computational payload which respond to their environment with the flexibility of a living organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
?
He has also investigated how computational methods may be used to analyze biological and quasi biological systems for example; ecosystems and economies.
He is also interested in ethology
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
, especially the emergent social ecosystems which occur as a result of social networking on the internet. His recent projects include the use of artificial intelligence techniques to look at complex socio-economic data He has also self-published
Self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
on the evolution of sex
and the convergent nature of economies and ecologies
On the computer science front he continues to develop and contribute to a number of other open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
and commercial software projects and is involved in the design of cluster/parallel computer hardware via his company; Tumbling Dice Ltd. Long-running projects include DAISY
Digital Automated Identification SYstem (DAISY)
Digital Automated Identification SYstem is an automated species identification system optimised for the rapid screening of invertebrates by non-experts ....
, PUPS P3
PUPS P3
PUPS/P3 is an implementation of an organic computing environment for Linux which provides support for the implementation of low level persistent software agents....
, Cryopid, ITG digital terrain model generation system
ITG digital terrain model generation system
The ITG digital terrain model generation system is a stereo correspondence/automated change detectionalgorithm based on adaptive least squares correlation for generating digital terrain models....
and Sugarscape
Sugarscape
Sugarscape is a model artificially intelligent agent-based social simulation following some or all rules presented by Joshua M. Epstein & Robert Axtell in their book Growing Artificial Societies.-Origin:...
.
Dr O'Neill has been a keen naturalist since childhood. In addition to his interests in complex systems and computer science he is fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and an expert in the rearing and ecology of hawk moths.
He is also interested in the use of so called "smart field" technology to monitor ecosystems and has been involved in projects at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is...
looking at the automatic tracking of bumblebees
Bombus terrestris
Bombus terrestris, the buff-tailed bumblebee or large earth bumblebee is one of the most numerous bumblebee species in Europe. The queen is 2–2.7 cm long, while the workers are 1½–2 cm...
, and other insects using vision, and using both network analysis and remote sensing
Remote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
techniques to monitor the health of ecosystems.
He has also been involved in both computational neuroscience
Computational neuroscience
Computational neuroscience is the study of brain function in terms of the information processing properties of the structures that make up the nervous system...
and systems biology
Systems biology
Systems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...
, the former association resulting in many papers while working at Oxford. Work in the latter area led to the successful flotation in 2007 of a systems biology company, e-Therapeutics PLC where Dr O'Neill was a senior scientist and assisted with the establishment of the company.
In addition to being a fellow of The Royal Entomological Society, Dr O'Neill is a fellow of the British Computer Society
British Computer Society
The British Computer Society, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in Information Technology in the United Kingdom and internationally...
, The Institute of Engineering and Technology
Institute of Engineering and Technology
The Institute of Engineering and Technology Lucknow is a state government-funded engineering college in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is a constituent college of Gautam Buddh Technical University .- History :The IET was established by the government of Uttar Pradesh in 1984, for imparting...
and The Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
. He was also one of the recipients of the BCS Award for Computing in 1992.
External links
- Tumbling Dice Ltd.
- http://www.etherapeutics.co.uk e-Theraputics PLC