J. Doyne Farmer

J Doyne Farmer is an established American complex systems scientist and entrepreneur. He currently holds the position of Baillie Gifford Professor of Complex Systems Science at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, Oxford University, and directs the Complexity Economics program at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School. Farmer's interdisciplinary career spans across physics, economics, and computer science. This wide range of expertise has allowed him to make substantial contributions to complex systems, chaos theory, artificial life, theoretical biology, and econophysics.

Farmer's entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Prediction Company, one of the first companies to engage in fully automated quantitative trading. This venture was preceded by his creation of the first wearable digital computer to beat the game of roulette, developed in collaboration with a group called Eudaemonic Enterprises. He later became the founder and Chief Scientist of Macrocosm Inc, a company committed to scaling up complexity economics methods. His work on roulette and his experiences in Nevada's casinos were featured in the 2004 Breaking Vegas documentary series, "Beat the Wheel."

Farmer's research often intersects economics and the natural sciences, with a focus on complexity economics, systemic risk in financial markets, and technological progress. Notably, his group at Oxford accurately predicted the impact of COVID-19 on the UK economy. Farmer has authored several influential publications, including "Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World," and has co-authored numerous papers on topics such as predicting chaotic time series and state space reconstruction. An avid sailor and backpacker, Farmer's contributions extend beyond academia and into the realm of adventure.