What is Biocomplexity?

Biocomplexity is about pervasive interaction, adaptation, and co-evolution of the living, technological, and natural worlds. Life, its artifacts, and the natural and built environments make up a complex system of astronomical numbers of possible interactions and relationships. The result is the world we inhabit, the technologies we produce and use, and the co-evolution of these things. Science struggles with the integration of all of this, but the practical reality is that management of ourselves and the systems on this planet is undeniably critical.

Our Mission & Vision

The Biocomplexity Institute (BI) focuses on solving complex problems that cannot be solved within the narrow confines of a single discipline or by a single researcher – we have developed a unique transdisciplinary team science approach to tackle such problems. We work to foster global collaborative networks to advance the research agenda and develop innovative experiential learning programs for students.

Our Institute has made significant advances in high-performance computing (HPC), AI, and machine learning, and created international cyberinfrastructure and HPC ecosystems. Over the past four decades, Institute members have supported important national policy debates on issues such as infrastructure security post 9/11, pandemic planning and response, urban transport planning to support the Clean Air Act, interdependent infrastructure security and resilience, bioterrorism, sustainable agriculture, adaptation to climate change, and development of 5G technologies. We served as the lead analytical group for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Commonwealth of Virginia in their COVID-19 response efforts. Our work has been commended by DTRA, VDH, USNORTHCOM, IARPA, USAID, CDC, and NIH. BI is integrated within international consortia of academia, industry, and government labs that advance open AI and HPC, such as the MLCommons, the AI Alliance, the virtual organization for pandemic preparedness (PREPARE), and the Trillion Parameter Consortium. 

Our Approach

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Immersive experiential learning for research-directed students	Professional and institutional connectivity across disciplines​	Supporting public policies and making social impact​	Non-traditional as well as traditional research sponsors