This is my first ever blog post!

As an introduction. I am Pete, a PhD student in public health simulation in the University of Sheffield. I am funded by the Wellcome Trust.

My research is on how should we model social interaction in agent-based models of public health.

Up until now, most agent-based models (ABMs) were grounded in socialogical theory, with little to no information about real-world social structures directly taken from the system being modelled. This really limits the ability of these ABMs to make accurate predictions about the real world and be useful to decision-makers. Secondly, It has long been postulated that non-transmissible diseases may by “transmitted” (See the controversial work of Christakis and Fowler for example) through social networks, but how exactly remains unclear and contagion mechanisms of behaviour change are poorly understood. My research is how to go about changing the generation and understanding the contagion.

Beyond that small question, I am using my time in my PhD trying to become a fully-fledged agent based modeller, and build a solid foundation of knowledge and contacts to further this goal. I am in the process of starting a research group of ABMers in Sheffield, so more on that to come…

This blog will be a place for me to share my thoughts, ideas, and progress on this journey. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I hope I enjoy writing it! After all;

“the best research is done by writing.” - Alan Brennan (maybe paraphrased)

Pete.