York Cross-disciplinary Centre for Systems Analysis

Ants
Starch Granules
Orcas
Seagulls
Pedigree Tree
Lorentz strange attractor

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

Stepney, Susan

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 Sarah Christmas. ‌
 

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

Emergence - Second International TRANSIT workshop on Cross-disciplinary Research
27-28 March - Ron Cooke Hub - See: Registration and Programme  

Spring Seminar Series

01 March
Dr Paul Tiffin, Health Sciences, York
Title: Intelligent and/or artificial? Machine learning and health services: possibilities and challenges

News

  • The landing obligation of the EU's common fisheries policy (CFP) came into force on 1 Jan 2019. Its aim is to end the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea, and one of the main ways to do this is to make fishing more selective. An unintended side effect of this is to increase fisheries-induced evolution of our fish stocks. This has not been considered by the EU in implementing the landing obligation.  
    Professor Richard Law took part in the closing meeting of the EU H2020 DiscardLess project (Copenhagen 30-31 Jan), and gave a talk on "The dark side of the selectivity paradigm: fisheries-induced evolution". This was to warn fisheries scientists, policy makers and stakeholders from the fishing industry about the dangers of the direction we are going in as the landing obligation is implemented.
  • February - The YCCSA Summer School Scholarship Programme is now open for applications.  We have nine exciting projects on offer, closing date Friday, 22 March noon.
  • January - #EPSRC_CrossDisciplinarity - YCCSA organised a great workshop in York involving 7 EPSRC projects: watch out for the video!