Directory of Experts
Details for Professor Nigel Franks
| Personal details | |
| Name | Professor Nigel Franks |
| Job title | Emeritus Professor |
| Department | School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 331 8092 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | B.Sc., Ph.D.(Leeds) |
| Professional details | |
| Keywords | ants problem-solving biological organization ant colonies collective intelligence |
| Areas of expertise | My research is on collective problem-solving in ants. Ant colonies embody all of the most important aspects of biological organization. In simple terms they are more than the sum of their parts and they are robust flexible systems that are capable of self repair. Our recent studies have begun to demonstrate the algorithmic basis of the self organization of ant colonies. Our focus is on the simple rules of interaction among worker ants that generate complexity and sophistication at the level of the colony. We have developed mathematical models that show how the interaction of simple rules at the microscopic level (individual workers) can generate complexity at the macroscopic level (the colony). Our research into the collective intelligence of ant colonies has been supported not just by biological funding sources but those from both the academic and industrial computer science communities. |