York Cross-disciplinary Centre for Systems Analysis

YCCSA is a community of researchers drawn from different departments developing novel mathematical, computational and analytical methods and tools for the analysis and modelling of complex systems.

About YCCSA

Professor Susan Stepney
YCCSA Director

Welcome to YCCSA. We are an open community of cross-disciplinary researchers, drawn from a diverse range of departments across the University at York. We are working together, developing and applying novel methods and tools to analyse, model, explore, and solve complex problems that cannot be tackled by one discipline alone.

Some 70 YCCSA staff and research students are co-located in purpose-built dedicated research space in the Ron Cooke Hub on the new Heslington East campus. Other YCCSA members reside in their home departments, and are very much part of the YCCSA community.

As well as carrying out cross-disciplinary research, we also reflect on the process itself, and develop new ways to help bring researchers together and bridge the gaps between disciplines. We each bring our own different and valuable perspectives to the challenges of researching complex systems.

Do browse our site to find out more about our people, our past and current research projects, and our engagement activities and events.

Research Themes

YCCSA's research takes three broad themes within the realm of complex systems research:

Resilient and Adaptive Systems
Biomedical and Ecological Systems
Natural Computation and Engineering

See current and completed research

Sabbaticals in YCCSA

Come and take your sabbatical in YCCSA
Are you interested in cross-disciplinary work and want to work with cross-disciplinary scientists - then consider taking your sabbatical in YCCSA. Please contact the member of staff you would like to work with and they will sponsor your application.

We can provide financial assistance with bench fees in some circumstances. For further information contact our team.

Featured research

maxfacts.uk provides information on all aspects of the discipline of oral and maxillofacial surgery, from impacted teeth, orofacial pain, mouth ulcers, orofacial infections, trauma, to mouth and skin cancers. Some of these conditions will affect approximately 1 in 4 people in their lifetime.

The website provides accurate information about conditions, treatment, and managing the consequences of conditions and treatment in the mouth, jaws and face. One aim is to help patients to take ownership of their conditions and help them to help themselves. However, the website is designed as a single-platform information resource for patients, carers and professionals alike.
See Research page

Upcoming events

Next YCSSA Seminar

Summer 2020 Seminar Series

News

Two funded PhD studentships (UK students only) on Reservoir Computing -- hardware and theory -- see

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/reservoir-computing/?p129468

and

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/reservoir-computing-with-neuromorphic-hardware/?p106527
MARCH Project - See here for Research Asociate/Research Fellow post
Susan Stepney, Viv Kendon (Durham) new paper, The representational entity in physical computing.
Penelope Faulkner Rainford, Angelika Sebald, Susan Stepney - new paper, MetaChem: An algebraic framework for Artificial Chemistries, Artificial Life
YCCSA first! We have two former Summer School students undertaking a PhD with us starting in a few months. We looking forward to welcoming Sam Hill and Isaac Watson.
Ongoing interdisciplinary real-time MRI project by A.J. Kennerley, D.A. Mitchell, A. Sebald, I. Watson - Gaining insight into swallowing & speech processes by real-time MRI (healthy volunteer chewing and swallowing a Brazil nut).
D.A. Mitchell, A. Sebald and L. Tomasello - new paper, Complex systems, part I: why 42 is rarely, if ever, the ultimate answer. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 58 (2020) 225–230