Joshua Garland received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado and a dual B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Colorado Mesa University. Currently, Joshua serves as an Associate Research Professor at Arizona State University's Center on Narratives, Disinformation and Strategic Influence. Previously he served as an Omidyar and Applied Complexity Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute.
In the study of complex adaptive systems, the available data often falls far short of the demands of the theory. Joshua’s research aims to develop rigorous models that bridge the gap between theory and observation---data that may be wildly lacking in the eyes of mathematics, but may still contain valuable information about the system. Said differently: when perfect isn’t possible, how can we adapt mathematics to describe the world around us? In studying complicated, ill-sampled, noisy systems, Joshua’s work focuses on understanding how much information is present in the data, how to extract it, to understand it, and to use it---but not overuse it.
Dr. Garland's areas of interest focus on a wide variety of complex systems and applications, such as the climate, ecology, politics, dynamical systems, and many more. However, as faculty at the Center on Narratives, Disinformation and Strategic Influence at ASU, he primarily focuses on one system---online human social dynamics. In this capacity, Joshua is combining social theory, machine learning, time series analysis and natural language processing to understand the fascinating intersections of AI, global politics, social media, narratives, disinformation and strategic influence.