Mark Buchanan Keynote Speaker

Mark Buchanan is one of the world’s foremost specialists on the application of physics to complex societal systems and institutions.

Mark specialises in applying concepts from modern physics to structures within society. He argues that theories of physics can offer insight into societal phenomena in the much the same way as they do for the physical world.

Mark is the author of three books on the subject of social physics and understanding human behaviour. In his latest work, Forecast: What Physics, Meteorology And The Natural Sciences Can Teach Us About Economics, he argues that the fixation of modern economics on the notion of equilibrium is fundamentally flawed, and economic crises are natural and predictable occurrences in a manner closely akin to thunderstorms and hurricanes. By invitation, Mark has presented his ideas to leaders at the Bank of England, East Asian financial authorities and numerous investment groups worldwide.

Before turning to writing, Mark was a Professor of Engineering Physics at the University of Virginia. He later became the editor of the international science journal Nature, and also the popular science magazine New Scientist. He currently writes a monthly column for Bloomberg and Nature Physics, and is a Visiting Professor of Complexity Science at the IMT Institute for Advanced Studies.