Cliff Joslyn
Encyclopedia
Cliff Joslyn is an American cognitive scientist, cyberneticist
, and currently Chief Scientist for Knowledge Sciences at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
in Seattle, Washington, USA.
in 1981 and received a BA in Cognitive Science
, Cybernetics
and Mathematics
in 1985. From 1987 he continued at the State University of New York
at Binghamton, where in 1989 he received a MS in Systems Science, and in 1994 under George Klir
he received a PhD in Systems Science
with the thesis "Possibilistic Processes for Complex Systems Modeling".
From 1994 to 1996 he was a NRC Research Associate at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. From 1996 to 2007 he was team leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory
, where he led the Knowledge and Information Systems Science research team in the Modeling, Algorithms and Informatics (CCS-3) Group of the Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since 2007 he is Chief Scientist for Knowledge Sciences at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
in Richland, Washington
, and end 2009 moved to the Seattle office.
Joslyn is on the editorial boards of the "International Journal of General Systems", the "Journal of Biosemiotics", and "Advances in Complex Systems".
In 1991 Joslyn was awarded the Sir Geoffrey Vickers' Award for Best Student Paper from the International Society for the Systems Sciences
. In 1997 he received the Distinguished Performance Award: A Large Team Award for IRS Fraud Detection Projects, Los Alamos National Laboratory.
is an international organisation in the field of cybernetics
and systems science
focused on the collaborative development of a "computer-supported evolutionary-systemic philosophy
in the context of the transdisciplinary academic fields of Systems Science and Cybernetics".
The organisation was initiated in 1989 by Cliff Joslyn, and Valentin Turchin
of the City College of New York
and Francis Heylighen
from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
in Belgium. These three scientists have managed the project ever since. They work together in an editorial board, which manages the collection, selection and development of the material, and the implementation of the computer system.
A primary application area is computational biology
, and thus they had a close working relationship with the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics team. Other application areas include homeland defense, critical infrastructure protection, intelligence analysis, decision support environments, risk and reliability analysis, and defense transformation.
Cyberneticist
A cyberneticist or a cybernetician is a person who practices cybernetics.Heinz von Foerster once told Stuart Umpleby that Norbert Wiener preferred the term "cybernetician" rather than "cyberneticist", perhaps because Wiener was a mathematician rather than a physicist.On the other hand, Nicolas...
, and currently Chief Scientist for Knowledge Sciences at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington....
in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Biography
Cliff Joslyn started at Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in 1981 and received a BA in Cognitive Science
Cognitive science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
, Cybernetics
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
and Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
in 1985. From 1987 he continued at the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
at Binghamton, where in 1989 he received a MS in Systems Science, and in 1994 under George Klir
George Klir
George Jiri Klir is a Czech-American computer scientist and professor of systems sciences at the Center for Intelligent Systems at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.- Biography :...
he received a PhD in Systems Science
Systems science
Systems science is an interdisciplinary field of science that studies the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. It aims to develop interdisciplinary foundations, which are applicable in a variety of areas, such as engineering, biology, medicine and social sciences.Systems...
with the thesis "Possibilistic Processes for Complex Systems Modeling".
From 1994 to 1996 he was a NRC Research Associate at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. From 1996 to 2007 he was team leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
, where he led the Knowledge and Information Systems Science research team in the Modeling, Algorithms and Informatics (CCS-3) Group of the Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since 2007 he is Chief Scientist for Knowledge Sciences at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington....
in Richland, Washington
Richland, Washington
Richland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
, and end 2009 moved to the Seattle office.
Joslyn is on the editorial boards of the "International Journal of General Systems", the "Journal of Biosemiotics", and "Advances in Complex Systems".
In 1991 Joslyn was awarded the Sir Geoffrey Vickers' Award for Best Student Paper from the International Society for the Systems Sciences
International Society for the Systems Sciences
The International Society for the Systems Sciences is a world-wide organization for systems sciences.- Overview :The initial purpose of the society was "to encourage the development of theoretical systems which are applicable to more than one of the traditional departments of knowledge."The idea...
. In 1997 he received the Distinguished Performance Award: A Large Team Award for IRS Fraud Detection Projects, Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Work
Research interests extends from "order theoretical approaches to knowledge discovery and database analysis to include computational semiotics, qualitative modeling, and generalized information theory, with applications in computational biology, infrastructure protection, homeland defense, intelligence analysis, and defense transformation".Principia Cybernetica
Principia CyberneticaPrincipia Cybernetica
Principia Cybernetica is an international cooperation of scientists in the field of cybernetics and systems science, especially known for their Principia Cybernetica Web website...
is an international organisation in the field of cybernetics
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
and systems science
Systems science
Systems science is an interdisciplinary field of science that studies the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. It aims to develop interdisciplinary foundations, which are applicable in a variety of areas, such as engineering, biology, medicine and social sciences.Systems...
focused on the collaborative development of a "computer-supported evolutionary-systemic philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in the context of the transdisciplinary academic fields of Systems Science and Cybernetics".
The organisation was initiated in 1989 by Cliff Joslyn, and Valentin Turchin
Valentin Turchin
Valentin Fyodorovich Turchin was a Soviet and American cybernetician and computer scientist. He developed the Refal programming language, the theory of metasystem transitions and the notion of supercompilation...
of the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and Francis Heylighen
Francis Heylighen
Francis Paul Heylighen is a Belgian cyberneticist, and research professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Dutch-speaking Free University of Brussels, where he directs the transdisciplinary research group on "Evolution, Complexity and Cognition".-Biography:Francis Heylighen was born on...
from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a Flemish university located in Brussels, Belgium. It has two campuses referred to as Etterbeek and Jette.The university's name is sometimes abbreviated by "VUB" or translated to "Free University of Brussels"...
in Belgium. These three scientists have managed the project ever since. They work together in an editorial board, which manages the collection, selection and development of the material, and the implementation of the computer system.
Knowledge and Information Systems Science
At Los Alamos Joslyn and his Knowledge and Information Systems Science team performed scientific research in "computational methods for the extraction, representation, organization, synthesis, discovery, and retrieval of knowledge in databases and information systems. They especially emphasize methods for representing semantic information, and hybrid methodologies combining statistical, numerical, and quantitative with symbolic, logical, and qualitative techniques".A primary application area is computational biology
Computational biology
Computational biology involves the development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavioral, and social systems...
, and thus they had a close working relationship with the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics team. Other application areas include homeland defense, critical infrastructure protection, intelligence analysis, decision support environments, risk and reliability analysis, and defense transformation.
Publications
Joslyn has published numerous books, papars, articles and book chapters. a selection:- 1994. Possibilistic Processes for Complex Systems Modeling. PhD Dissertation, SUNY-Binghamton, Systems Science.
- 1995. The Quantum of Evolution: Towards a Theory of Meta-System Transitions. With Francis HeylighenFrancis HeylighenFrancis Paul Heylighen is a Belgian cyberneticist, and research professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Dutch-speaking Free University of Brussels, where he directs the transdisciplinary research group on "Evolution, Complexity and Cognition".-Biography:Francis Heylighen was born on...
, and Valentin TurchinValentin TurchinValentin Fyodorovich Turchin was a Soviet and American cybernetician and computer scientist. He developed the Refal programming language, the theory of metasystem transitions and the notion of supercompilation...
eds. Gordon and Breach.
External links
- Cliff Joslyn Homepage
- About Cliff Joslyn on Principia Cybernetica Web