Research Groups
Bagrow Lab
Group Lead(s): James Bagrow
We are researchers using mathematical modeling, computational methods, and big data to understand and predict the behavior of complex social and technological systems, from team collaborations and activity on social media to power grids, the stock market, and more.
Computational Ethics Lab
Group Lead(s): Randall Harp, Juniper L. Lovato
The University of Vermont (UVM) Computational Ethics Lab is a research group located in the Vermont Complex Systems Institute. Our team brings together a post-disciplinary group of researchers, faculty, and students working in complex systems, data science, mathematics, computer science, and philosophy. This research group works to gain a deeper understanding of the ethical impacts of modern socio-technological systems. Research areas include: multi-level data ethics, privacy, distributed consent, and network structure and dynamics of data flow.
Computational Finance Lab
Group Lead(s): Brian Tivnan
The Computational Finance Lab is a joint venture of the University of Vermont and The MITRE Corporation. Its purpose is to study modern financial markets from a systems perspective using the tools of statistical physics, systems engineering, and data science. Its major research foci are empirical market microstructure and agent-based modeling of financial markets.
Computational Story Lab
Group Lead(s): Chris Danforth, Peter Sheridan Dodds
We are a group of applied mathematicians working on large-scale, system-level problems in many fields including sociology, nonlinear dynamics, networks, ecology, and physics.
The group is directed by Peter Sheridan Dodds and Chris Danforth, with blatantly fun research results made possible by the Story Lab team of undergraduate, masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral students at the University of Vermont.
The Computational Story Lab lives in Innovation Hall with the Vermont Complex Systems Institute and Vermont Advanced Computing Core.
Energy and Complexity Group
Group Lead(s): Mads R. Almassalkhi
The mission of the energy and complexity group is to understand the complexity of electricity and to use that understanding to make energy systems work better (cleaner, more reliable and less costly) through innovative research. Our group works in close collaboration with the Vermont Complex Systems Institute, the UVM Smart Grid IGERT program, and the eEnergy Vermont Smart Grid project.
Joint Lab
Group Lead(s): Laurent Hébert-Dufresne, Jean-Gabriel Young
The Joint Lab is a collaborative effort from The Laboratory for Structure and Dynamics and The Complex Data Laboratory. One arm focuses on the coevolution of structure and dynamics in complex systems, the other makes sense of complex data by bridging the gap between statistics, computer science and complex systems.
MassMutual Center of Excellence in Complex Systems and Data Science
Group Lead(s): Chris Danforth, Peter Sheridan Dodds
The MassMutual Center of Excellence for Complex Systems and Data Science will initiate research projects and programs aimed at better understanding human wellness through data analytics, as well as programming to cultivate a strong pipeline of data science talent.
Morphology, Evolution & Cognition Laboratory
Group Lead(s): Joshua Bongard
Can we automatically design increasingly smart robots that will help humans and work alongside them? To do so, we draw on ideas from evolution, crowdsourcing, and neuroscience.
Neurobotics Lab
Group Lead(s): Nick Cheney
The UVM Neurobotics Lab draws inspiration from natural systems in biology, psychology, and neuroscience to help us design artificial neural networks, autonomous robots, and decision making systems. We also apply these machine learning systems to help provide solutions and insights towards complex systems in our society — including social, environmental, and biomedical domains.
Open-Source Complex Ecosystems And Networks
Group Lead(s): James Bagrow, Laurent Hébert-Dufresne
The goal of the UVM project is to deepen understanding of how people, teams and organizations thrive in technology-rich settings, especially in open-source projects and communities. The Google award will establish a collaboration between the Google Open Source team and UVM to begin building a community-oriented body of research focused on understanding how open source platforms are used and what makes technology-rich environments thrive.
Spatial Analysis Lab
The University of Vermont (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory (SAL) is a research facility located within the Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources. The SAL brings together faculty, staff, and students from across campus who share a passion for using geospatial technology to solve pressing challenges in the natural, physical, and social sciences. In partnership with the USDA Forest Service, the SAL has carried out tree canopy assessments for over 80 communities throughout North America, giving decision-makers data analytics that helps them to chart a greener future. The SAL is also home to UVM’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Team, which uses drone technology in areas ranging from disaster response to invasive species mapping.