David Orrell, Ph.D. is a scientist and author of popular science books. He studied mathematics at the University of Alberta, and obtained his Ph.D. from Oxford University on the prediction of nonlinear systems.
His work in mathematical modeling and complex systems research has led him to diverse areas such as weather forecasting, particle accelerator design, economics, and cancer biology. He has authored or coauthored research papers for journals including
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences,
Nature Genetics, the
International Journal of Bifurcations and Chaos, and
Physica D.
He is the author of
Economyths and
The Other Side of the Coin: The Emerging Vision of Economics and Our Place in The World about new economic theories; and
The Future of Everything: The Science of Prediction about prediction in weather, genetics, and economics, which was a national bestseller and finalist for the 2007 Canadian Science Writers' Association book award. Foresight called it "An engaging, as well as deeply insightful, discussion on the difficult task of prediction ... it can change the way you view forecasting."
David has been a guest on radio shows including Coast to Coast AM, NPR, and BBC, and his work has been featured in print media such as
New Scientist and the
Financial Times. He has spoken at many conferences and events including the Art Center Global Dialogues on Disruptive Thinking. He currently lives in Oxford, UK, where he runs a mathematical consultancy Systems Forecasting.
Awards Finalist: Canadian Science Writers' Association book award (2007)
Finalist: National Business Book Award (2011)