Welcome!   I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland.   My research uses our RePast-based GeoGraph computational laboratory to address practical problems such as inequality, socio-economic segregation, conflict, innovation, infectious diseases, long-run urban and regional transitions, and social-ecological resilience at multiple scales.

Computational laboratories offer virtual worlds where it is feasible, safe, and affordable for us to learn from our mistakes far sooner than we might otherwise learn the hard way via dire or irreversible consequences in our real world.   Ideally, virtual worlds may also help us to discover and evaluate practices that foster more graceful interbeing; again more quickly, more feasibly, and more thoroughly tested in the laboratory than would otherwise be possible.   The crucial challenge is to work together to discover improved methods for refining models and fully exploring their behavior in order to ensure that the lessons we learn reflect our one shared live world rather than merely artifacts of one model or set of simulation results versus another.

My academic background includes graduate work in formal micro-economic theory and international trade theory, public finance (which includes theory and practice relating to overuse of shared resources (tragedy of the commons), externalities (pollution), and public goods), and game theory (especially axiomatic bargaining theory, a formal structure for evaluating fairness in resource allocation problems) in the Department of Economics at the University of Rochester.   Professional experience includes computer science and many years as a professional software designer and developer (simulations, executive information systems, and national and international software patents).

Personal adventures include living in Pakistan during grade school, attending the United Nations International School, and running a farm during high school (Saanen goats, Cheviot sheep, Irish Dexter miniature cows, Border Collies; shearing sheep, milking goats, and teaching my horse to drive).   I'm a recovered renovator of old houses, and am very fond of California mountains, green rolling hills, misty mornings, old growth forests, reading, grace and centeredness, long walks, bicycling (road), Concept II Rowing, road trips of most kinds, and Thich Nhat Hanh's engaged mindfulness.

My old favorite online community is the WELL (One of the oldest online communities, brought to us by the folks who edit the Whole Earth Catalogs.), where I used to be cath and to hang out in the Design (go design) and Quaker (go quakepri) conferences.   I especially recommend the Global Business Network and Stewart Brand's GBN Book Reviews there. If you like GBN, you may also be interested in Fast Company.