I lead the interdisciplinary Dynamics and Neural Systems Group in the School of Physics at The University of Sydney.
We are physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists who develop and apply methods, from statistical physics to machine learning, to find and explain patterns in complex dynamical systems, with a particular focus on the brain.
Complex-systems thinking has a lot to tell us about the physical principles underlying how the brain is organized and how it forms the physical basis for our thoughts and feelings.
Our published research ranges from the theory of nonlinear and time-irreversible dynamical systems, to data-driven methods for tracking non-stationarity, to applications that help us understand brain-network structure, sleep, and consciousness.
My research is listed in full on Google Scholar; some examples from our group are below.
Identifying statistical indicators of temporal asymmetry using a data-driven approach
Teresa Dalle Nogare et al., Phys. Rev. Research (2025)
Parameter inference from a non-stationary unknown process
Kieran Owens et al., Chaos (2024)
Tracking the distance to criticality in systems with unknown noise
Brendan Harris et al., Phys. Rev. X (2024)
Multimodal gradients across mouse cortex
Ben Fulcher et al., PNAS (2019)
We practice open science; we develop and maintain lots of software for time-series analysis that implements our research, see here.
hctsa and catch22 have over 1,300 GitHub stars between them, and catch22 is downloaded more than 30,000 times a month.
If you're curious and creative, have a quantitative background, and like the idea of being immersed in an interdisciplinary research group, see the join page on the group website. I have some top-up funding available for strong PhD students.
Through Engine Analytics, I work with industry and research teams on applied time-series analysis problems. We do consulting and deliver tailored software in diverse domains, from biomedicine to engineering.
Get in touch if you have a time-series problem and are looking for advice.
I played cello/piano in a Melbourne band called patches. Take a listen?
Bandcamp Spotify Apple Music/iTunes Music video for our single, White Noise
Our open-source software