Sitabhra Sinha

I am a post-doc at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. I did my B Sc in Physics from the St Xavier's College, Univ. of Calcutta in 1992 and M Sc in Physics from the University College of Science, Calcutta in 1994. My Ph D, completed in 1998, was on nonlinear dynamics of neural network models which I did at the Machine Intelligence Unit of Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta.

My principal research goal is to understand the relation between dynamics and computation, that can be observed in several systems (e.g., cellular automata, neural network models, etc.). Specifically, I would like to investigate the connection between dynamical complexity and the emergence of computational capability in physical systems. A subsidiary goal is to understand how structure modifies dynamics in network systems. Related to this is the aim of utilizing dynamics for computational purpose in neural network models, which I had investigated in my Ph.D. work, focussing on chaotic dynamics. My main research interests can be classified into: * Emergence of dynamical and computational complexity in cellular automata. * Dynamical properties of networks with non-random connectivity structure (e.g., "small-world" type connections) - application to ecology. * Nonlinear dynamics of recurrent neural network models. * Control and synchronization of spatio-temporal chaos.

During the tenure of my International Fellowship I would like to extend my work on studying the inter-relation of network structure and network dynamics - and its relevance to the stability vs diversity debate in ecology. I would also like to collaborate with SFI faculty/visitors on questions concerning the relation between dynamics and computation, especially in the context of cellular automata.

For more details on my research, please see my web-site at http://www.geocities.com/sitabhra