Geoffrey West
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Brian West is a British
theoretical physicist, former president and distinguished professor of the Santa Fe Institute
. He is one of the leading scientists working on a scientific model of cities. Among other thing his work states that with the doubling of a city's size services per capita will generally increase by 15%.
, Somerset, a rural town in western England and moved to London when he was 13. He received a bachelor's degree in physics from Cambridge
and pursued graduate studies at Stanford, California
.
He eventually became a Stanford faculty member before he joined the particle theory group at New Mexico
's Los Alamos National Laboratory
. After Los Alamos, he became president of the Santa Fe Institute
, where he works on biological issues (such the allometric law and other power laws in biology
).
He has since been honored as one of Time magazine's Time 100
. He is a member of the World Knowledge Dialogue Scientific Board.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
theoretical physicist, former president and distinguished professor of the Santa Fe Institute
Santa Fe Institute
The Santa Fe Institute is an independent, nonprofit theoretical research institute located in Santa Fe and dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of the fundamental principles of complex adaptive systems, including physical, computational, biological, and social systems.The Institute houses a...
. He is one of the leading scientists working on a scientific model of cities. Among other thing his work states that with the doubling of a city's size services per capita will generally increase by 15%.
Life and work
Geoffrey West was born in 1940 in TauntonTaunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset, a rural town in western England and moved to London when he was 13. He received a bachelor's degree in physics from Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and pursued graduate studies at Stanford, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
He eventually became a Stanford faculty member before he joined the particle theory group at New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
's 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...
. After Los Alamos, he became president of the Santa Fe Institute
Santa Fe Institute
The Santa Fe Institute is an independent, nonprofit theoretical research institute located in Santa Fe and dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of the fundamental principles of complex adaptive systems, including physical, computational, biological, and social systems.The Institute houses a...
, where he works on biological issues (such the allometric law and other power laws in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
).
He has since been honored as one of Time magazine's Time 100
Time 100
Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by Time. First published in 1999 as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has become an annual event.-History and format:...
. He is a member of the World Knowledge Dialogue Scientific Board.
External links
- Geoffrey West's Profile at the Santa Fe Institute
- "Yeah, but what about the crayfish?" - Article about West's scaling law work on PhysicsWorld.com
- Scaling Laws In Biology And Other Complex Systems - Talk he gave at GoogleGoogleplexThe Googleplex is the corporate headquarters complex of Google, Inc., located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California, United States, near San Jose. "Googleplex" is a portmanteau of Google and complex, and a reference to googolplex, the name given to the large...
- The surprising math of cities and corporations - TED Talk
- New York Times article about West's work on cities