Pastoral systems, management of common-pool resources, coupled human and natural systems, complex adaptive systems, regime shifts, resilience, ecology of infectious diseases, herder-farmer conflicts, pastoral development, political ecology.

Area: Complex Biological, Social and Sociotechnical Systems
Specific focus: Origins of intelligent behavior

Dissertation: Narrative Generation for Agent-Based Models

Abstract: This dissertation proposes a four-level framework for thinking about having agent-based models (ABM) generate narrative describing their behavior, and then provides examples of models that generate narrative at each of those levels. In addition, “interesting” agents are identified in order to direct the attention of researchers to the narratives most likely to be worth spending their time reviewing. The focus is on developing techniques for generating narrative based on agent actions and behavior, on techniques for generating narrative describing aggregate model behavior, and on techniques for identifying “interesting” agents. Examples of each of these techniques are provided in two different ABMs, Zero-Intelligence Traders (Gode & Sunder, 1993, 1997) and Sugarscape (Epstein & Axtell, 1996).

Agent-based systems

My research interests include policy informatics and decision making, modeling in policy analysis and management decisions, public health management and policy, and the role of public value in policy development. I am particularly interested in less mainstream approaches to modeling that account for learning, feedback, and other systems dynamics. I include Bayesian inference, agent-based models, and behavioral assumptions in both my research and teaching.
In my dissertation research, I conceptualize state Medicaid programs as complex adaptive systems characterized by diverse actors, behaviors, relationships, and objectives. These systems reproduce themselves through both strategic and emergent mechanisms of program management. I focus on the mechanism by which citizens are sorted into or out of the system: program enrollment. Using Bayesian regression and agent-based models, I explore the role of administrative practices (such as presumptive eligibility and longer continuous eligibility periods) in increasing enrollment of eligible citizens into Medicaid programs.

I am an Associate Professor of Data Analytics at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I was the Director of Postgraduate Teaching at the Department of Management Science, Lancaster University Management School overseeing MSc programmes in Business Analytics, Management Science and Marketing Analytics, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, e-Business and Innovation, and Project Management.

My research interests lie in the areas of predictive analytics using simulation. I am particularly interested in simulation modelling methodology (symbiotic simulation, hybrid modelling, agent-based simulation, discrete-event simulation) with applications in operations and supply chain management (e.g. hospital, manufacturing, transportation, warehouse) and social dynamics (e.g. diffusion of perception). Currently, I am the associate editor of the Journal of Simulation and the secretary of The OR Society‘s Special Interest Group in Simulation. I am the track coordinator of Agent-Based Simulation for the Winter Simulation Conference 2018.

My work explores the political economy of disease prevention and control (global health), the political ecology of the intersections between human, animal and ecosystem health (planetary health), and how complimentary expertises can be mobilized to effectively improve the well-being of underserved and remote communities sustainably through participatory processes (transdisciplinary, community-based research).

Muaz is a Senior Member of the IEEE and has more than 15 years of professional, teaching and research experience. Muaz has been working on Communication Systems and Networks since 1995. His BS project in 1995 was on the development of a Cordless Local Area Network. In 1996, his postgraduate project was on Wireless Connectivity of devices to Computers. In addition to his expertise as an Communications engineer, his areas of research interest are in the development of agent-based and complex network-based models of Complex Adaptive Systems. He has worked on diverse case studies ranging from Complex Communication Networks, Biological Networks, Social Networks, Ecological system modeling, Research and Scientometric modeling and simulation etc. He has also worked on designing and developing embedded systems, distributed computing, multiagent and service-oriented architectures.

High performance parallel computing, parallel applications, performance models, automatic performance analysis, dynamic tuning. Performance tools for automatic and dynamic performance tuning on HPC systems. Agent-based modelling systems.