I came to the Santa Fe Institute from the University of New Mexico where I completed my doctoral work in computer science under Cristopher Moore. My undergraduate days were spent at Haverford College, in Pennsylvania, where I studied physics and computer science, and was an active member of the student government. Some of my fondest memories are from my time at Haverford, where there was never a shortage of intelligent or ambitious people to learn from. As a result, I'm a strong supporter of the small liberal arts college experience, and particularly so for their role in science education.

My research interests are broad, currently including the structure and function of social, biological and computer networks, evolutionary biology and the origin of diversity, and the dynamics of political conflict. These disparate themes are unified by a central interest in understanding the world around me, and as such, much of my work sits at the intersection of data analysis and theoretical modeling. This leads me to care a lot about statistical methods, but only in so far as they serve the larger goal of advancing scientific understanding. Interspersed throughout my time in academia, I've spent time working or consulting in the pharmceutical, financial and advertising industries, mainly developing statistical methods for making accurate predictions in real-world systems. This interest in practical solutions to practical problems keeps me connected with more immediate concerns, and it ocassionally informs my own research. Not all of my interests find an outlet in research, perhaps mainly because many of them lay too far outside my expertise, so these instead serve as material for my blog.

On a more personal note, I am an avid traveler, and have enjoyed visiting all of the lower 48 states, as well as about 27 foreign countries on 4 continents. But, traveling is my second favorite activity.