Robin Purshouse

Professor Robin Purshouse is a leading academic at the University of Sheffield, currently serving as Professor of Decision Sciences in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering within the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. With a career spanning academia and industry, his work bridges computational modelling, optimization, and systems science to address complex challenges in public health and engineering. His research has been pivotal in developing mechanisms for agent-based modelling and evolutionary multi-objective optimization.

• Education: PhD in Control Systems (2004), MEng in Control Systems Engineering (1999) from the University of Sheffield

Professor Purshouse's research focuses on computational modelling of complex social systems, decision analytics for population health policy, and Bayesian optimization. He has pioneered the integration of machine learning and uncertainty quantification in social science simulations, with notable projects like the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model and CASCADE initiative. His work spans interdisciplinary domains, including health economics, policy evaluation, and engineering design.

Recent publications highlight his expertise in agent-based modelling for smoking/vaping dynamics, intersectional disparities in alcohol consumption, and inclusive economy frameworks. He has secured substantial funding (exceeding £16 million) through grants from NIH, CRUK, UKPRP, and MRC, including his role as co-PI in the HealthMod cluster. His contributions to multi-objective optimization and evolutionary algorithms have advanced methodologies in both engineering and public health domains.

• Scientific Awards: ESRC Future Research Leaders Award (2012-2015)

As a co-developer of the Liger optimization environment, Purshouse has fostered open-source tools for complex decision-making. He leads the SIPHER consortium for systems science in public health and serves on editorial boards for journals like Environmental Modelling & Software. His teaching includes Agent-Based Modelling (ACS6132), and he maintains professional memberships in the Association for Computing Machinery and Research Society on Alcohol.