Computational Modelling Group

Dr. Richard A. Watson

Position
Senior Lecturer
Institution
Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
Webpage
http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/raw/
E-mail
R.A.Watson@soton.ac.uk
Contact
Complete this online contact form to contact Richard.

Evolution and all things evolutionary.

My work aims to understand the algorithmic principles of biological evolution.

Presently I am working on a theoretical unification between learning theory, in particular, associaitve or connecitonist learning mechanisms, and evolutionary processes, in particular, the evolution of gene networks, ecological networks and changes in the level of evolutionary unit (the major transitions in evolution).

Some representative papers:

The evolution of phenotypic correlations and 'developmental memory' Richard A. Watson, Günter P. Wagner, Mihaela Pavlicev, Daniel M. Weinreich, Rob Mills (under revision)

Is Evolution by Natural Selection the Algorithm of Biological Evolution? RA Watson Artificial Life 13, 121-128

Transformations in the scale of behavior and the global optimization of constraints in adaptive networks RA Watson, R Mills, CL Buckley Adaptive Behavior 19 (4), 227-249

Global adaptation in networks of selfish components: Emergent associative memory at the system scale RA Watson, R Mills, CL Buckley Artificial Life 17 (3), 147-166

Optimization in “self?modeling” complex adaptive systems RA Watson, CL Buckley, R Mills Complexity 16 (5), 17-26

Genome structure and the benefit of sex RA Watson, DM Weinreich, J Wakeley Evolution 65 (2), 523-536

The concurrent evolution of cooperation and the population structures that support it ST Powers, AS Penn, RA Watson Evolution 65 (6), 1527-1543

Richard's team members

Jordi Arranz
Postgraduate Research Student, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
William Hurndall
Postgraduate Research Student, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
Konstantinos Kouvaris
Postgraduate Research Student, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
Simon Tudge
Postgraduate Research Student, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
. .
Postgraduate Research Student, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
Jamie Caldwell
Postgraduate Research Student, Engineering Sciences (FEE)
Adam Jackson
Postgraduate Research Student, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
Daniel Power
Postgraduate Research Student, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)

Joint projects with...

Markus Brede
Senior Lecturer, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
Patrick Doncaster
Reader, Biological Sciences (FNES)
James Dyke
Lecturer, Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)

Research Groups

Science and Engineering of Natural Systems group

Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)

Projects