Steven Bishop is a professor at the Department of Mathematics, University College London, UK. His research interests span a broad variety of topics motivated mainly by problems in engineering dynamics. Identifying instabilities in nonlinear dynamical systems forms a running theme with particular emphasis on parametrically excited continuous systems and the interesting phenomena found in non-smooth systems such as those involving repeated impacts.

Previous research areas have included the control of chaos and chaotic synchronisation but additionally the concepts of nonlinear dynamics have been applied to study ship capsize, the spread of fires in rooms, the stability of electronic phase-locked loops and other physical problems of practical interest. More recently a discrete approach has been applied to consider the dynamics and morphology of sand dunes. Furthermore, celluar automata models have been used to model sediment transport and this work has been used to guide policy on the sustainability of offshore dredging. In general all of Steve’s research falls under the general area of complex systems.

Steven is the Co-ordinator of the GSD project, and organizes an annual meeting of the Partners in London. The 2009 meeting was held in the House of Lords, bringing academics and experts to the home of UK policy making.Full details of the 2008 & 2009 meetings are available via the GSD events page 

To contact any GSD partner, please email the GSD Project Administrator, Elizabeth Hancock – elizabeth.hancock[at]ucl.ac.uk