March 6, 2025 – Dr. Bryan Watson recently visited the University of Florida Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering to deliver a seminar at the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE). Hosted by Dr. Sara Behdad, the visit provided an opportunity for engaging discussions with faculty and students on bio-inspired engineering and the broader impact of research. The visit also held special significance, as Dr. Watson’s grandfather graduated from UF’s Civil Engineering program in 1958.
Dr. Watson’s talk explored complex systems and the need for increased resilience, highlighting emergence as a key property and discussing how biologically inspired design (BID) can enhance system resilience. He presented a case study on mitigating peer-to-peer network attacks using strategies inspired by the Zombie Ant Fungus (Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis), demonstrating the application of agent-based models to faulted agents in complex systems. The talk concluded with a discussion of future directions for Biologically Inspired Design for Resilience (BID4R), including insights from the Allee Effect and its implications for system stability. The work presented included contributions from students James Hand, Rasika Ravindra Kale, Isabella V Hernandez, EIT, Mia Jastrzembski, Fayruz Maysha, Jessica Christa Wira Hadipoernomo, Julia Gorthey, and Austen Pallen.
Follow this link to watch his seminar!
BID4R Lab 