Lara Danilova-Burdess

My main interests currently are in economics, econophysics, statistical physics and non-linear dynamics, linguistics, biophysics and in the history of science as complex system. Some time in the future I would love to take a closer look at cell signaling, neuroscience and cognitive science.

I decided to embark on scientific career at the age of 12 by joining an astronomy club in my hometown, which led me eventually to studying theoretical physics with specialization in astrophysics and to working in one of the biggest in Europe (and I believe the best :)) astrophysical observatories. For my past participation in astronomical expeditions I was accepted this year into the New York chapter of the Explorers club.

My experience in the Observatory included both collecting data, by making observations on the 2.6 m diameter optical telescope (with especially unforgettable long cold winter nights when sky is especially clear), and analysing the data via building quantitative models of stellar atmospheres. Multi-skilled requirements for a scientist and interdisciplinary approach were essential for the Observatory's working culture.

I also developed interest in linguistics and learned English, Italian and Greek in addition to my native Russian, thus taking samples out of four different language groups of the indo-european family. Currently, I am planning to add Sanskrit to my collection and I am very interested in the quantitative approach to the problem of proto-languages. I also have strong interest in comparative mythology. Some time in the future I would love to take a closer look at the paleoclimatology and at the links uniting these fields of study.

After realizing the power of economic forces over the life of societies and over the life of scientific networks and how, in fact, little understood and developed this branch of science is, I went to New York to study quantitative finance, got some financial markets experience and attended since autumn 2006 the New York Quantitative Finance seminar, thus getting the first-row-seat observation point at the financial crisis of 2008 and the attempts to analyze it.

I would say that my biggest interest at this point is at developing new quantitative risk measures applicable to the global financial markets, perhaps by applying the methods of network analysis. In addition, I am interested in studies of sustainability of companies, cities and societies as complex adaptive systems, in flow of information in complex networks and the ways it could be optimized, and in the quantitative studies of what causes collapses of the financial markets and societies as complex adaptive systems.

I can be contacted at lara.burdess@gmail.com