In particular, he has attempted to answer the question "can one create software agents which are capable of carrying a useful computational payload which respond to their environment with the flexibility of a living organism?"

He has also worked with public domain agent based social interaction models such as Sugarscape and artificial life simulators, for example physis, which is a development of Tierra.

In addition to his interests in complex systems and computer science, he is a member of the Royal Entomological Society and an expert in the rearing and ecology of hawk moths.

He is also currently convenor of the [Electronic and Computing Technology Special Interest Group] (SIG) for the Royal Entomological Society.

Latterly, he has become interested in applying these techniques in the commercial sphere to look at issues of corporate responsibility and sustainability in industries like mining and agriculture which have significant ecological footprints.