Timothy F. H. Allen
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Timothy F. H. Allen (born July 6, 1942) is a British botanist and former professor of
Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
and Environmental Studies at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
.Makers of American Botany,
Harry Baker Humphrey Harry Baker Humphrey (1873–1955) was an American botanist.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 He was a pathologist with the USDA, specializing on research on breeding res ...
, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435
Allen is a leader in the fields of
hierarchy theory Hierarchy theory is a means of studying ecological systems in which the relationship between all of the components is of great complexity. Hierarchy theory focuses on levels of organization and issues of scale, with a specific focus on the role of ...
,
systems theory Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or human-made. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, defined by its structu ...
, and complexity.


Biography

Timothy Allen was born in 1942 in
South Croydon South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon and running as far south as the former Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by Waddon to the West and Selsdon and Sanderstead to the ...
, Surrey, U.K, and since the 1970s has been a permanent U.S. resident. He received his B.Sc. in 1964 and his Ph.D. in 1968, both at the University College North Wales of the
University of Wales, Bangor , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...
, in
North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
."Biographical Sketch Timothy F. Allen". in
Research proposal Biocomplexity
at limnology.wisc.edu. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
Starting in 1964, Allen worked for four years as a demonstrator at the School of Plant Biology of the University College North Wales. This was followed by two years as a lecturer in the Department of Biological Science at the
University of Ife Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...
in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. In 1970 he went to the United States and became an assistant professor at the Department of Botany of
University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
, being named professor in 1981. In 1980 he joined the faculty of the Department of Integrated Liberal Studies, and as member of the faculty of the Institute for Environmental Studies, Conservation and Land Management Programs. In 1988–89 he was a visiting professor at the Department of Anthropology and Cybernetic Systems at the
San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
. In 2008–2009, Allen was president of the
International Society for the Systems Sciences The International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) is a worldwide organization for systems sciences. The overall purpose of the ISSS is: :"to promote the development of conceptual frameworks based on general system theory, as well as their ...
. He is also a member of the scientific advisory board of the Integral Science Institute.


Work

Timothy Allen's research interests are in the fields: theory of complex systems and
ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
, in particular
hierarchy theory Hierarchy theory is a means of studying ecological systems in which the relationship between all of the components is of great complexity. Hierarchy theory focuses on levels of organization and issues of scale, with a specific focus on the role of ...
and problems of scale; epistemology for
biological system A biological system is a complex network which connects several biologically relevant entities. Biological organization spans several scales and are determined based different structures depending on what the system is. Examples of biological syst ...
s; resource use and biosocial dynamics; narrative in science.Timothy F. H. Allen
The Allen Lab Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Retrieved 8 June 2008.


Works


Books

* 1982. ''Hierarchy : perspectives for ecological complexity''. With Thomas B. Starr. Chicago : University of Chicago Press. * 1986. ''A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems''. With R.V. O'Neill, D. DeAngelis and J. B. Waide. Princeton : Princeton University Press. * 1992. ''Toward a unified ecology''. With Thomas W. Hoekstra. New York : Columbia University Press. * 1996. ''Hierarchy theory : a vision, vocabulary, and epistemology''. With Valerie Ahl, illustrated by Paula Lerner. New York : Columbia University Press. * 2003. ''Supply-side sustainability''. With Joseph A. Tainter and Thomas W. Hoekstra. New York : Columbia University Press.


Selected articles

* 1991. "The role of heterogeneity in scaling of ecological systems under analysis". With T.W. Hoekstra. In: J. Kolasa, and S.T.A. Pickett (Eds.). ''Ecological heterogeneity''. Springer-Verlag. pp. 47–68. * 1993. "The problem of scaling in ecology". With A. King et al. In: ''Evolutionary Trends in Plants'' 7:3-8. * 1991. "Improving predictability in networks: system specification through networks." With R.V. O'Neill. In: M. Higashi and T.P. Burns (eds). ''Theoretical studies of ecosystems: the network perspective.''Cambridge. pp. 101–114.


References


External links



The Allen Lab Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin–Madison. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Timothy F. H. 1942 births Living people 20th-century British biologists 21st-century British biologists University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty British systems scientists People from Surrey Alumni of the University of Wales Academic staff of Obafemi Awolowo University British expatriates in Nigeria Presidents of the International Society for the Systems Sciences