Nigel is a Distinguished Chair in Computational Social Science at the University of Surrey.

He is Director of the Centre for Research in Social Simulation, Director of the Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN), and Director of the University's Institute of Advanced Studies.

His main research interests are processual theories of social phenomena; the development of computational sociology and the methodology of computer simulation, especially agent-based modelling; and the development, appraisal and evaluation of public policies.

He read for a first degree in Engineering, initially intending to go into the computer industry.

However, he was attracted into sociology and obtained his doctorate on the sociology of scientific knowledge from the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Michael Mulkay.

Nigel's research and teaching interests have reflected his continuing interest in both sociology and computer science (and engineering more widely).

He is the author or editor of several textbooks on sociological methods of research and statistics and was the founding editor of the Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation as well as helping to establish the innovative online journal, Sociological Research Online.

He tweets @micrology