Nathaniel Virgo
DPhil student
Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics
(CCNR),
University of Sussex, UK
nathanielvirgo<at>gmail.com
Research Interests
My PhD project explores the effect of physical constraints, such as the second law of thermodynamics and a limited energy supply, on complex physical systems such as organisms and ecosystems.
In particular I'm interested in how lifelike properties can arise in non-living systems, and what this can tell us about biology.
This leads me to ask questions such as
- How do individual entities arise in certain physical systems? What do these phenomena have in common with biological organisms?
- How can lifelike structures and lifelike behaviour such as learning occur in purely physical systems? What does this purely physical organisation tell us about biological development?
- What can energetic considerations tell us about the structure of ecosystems and the evolution of complexity?
Structurally complex entities in a reaction-diffusion system (modified Gray-Scott). Each consists of red and blue spots coexisting symbioticaly, mediated by an exchange of nutrients (green)