Dr Richard Williams FRSA CEng FBCS
Senior LecturerResearch Overview
Dr Williams is a member of the Department of Management Science and actively involved in two of its research groups: Health Systems Research Group, and the Simulation and Stochastic Modelling Research Group. In addition, he is a member of: the multidisciplinary Data Science Institute (DSI); the Centre for Technological Futures (CTF); and the Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous Systems Centre (LIRA). Dr Williams' research revolves around the broad theme of Complex Systems Science. At present, he has particular interests in two main areas around: Modelling and Simulation of Complex Organisational Systems, and Project Management as a Complex System.
Research Interests
Currently focused around Complexity in Engineering and Technology Project Management, because:
The implementation and management of large engineering and technology projects often becomes the preserve of external service providers. For example, some of the larger software engineering projects consist of hundreds of customer and third-party team members, who may be located across multiple geographies, and time zones. It has been argued that the increasing size and complexity of these technology projects, leads them to exhibit the behaviours and traits of complex systems.
Without a clear understanding of the emergent behaviours of large engineering and technology projects, it is difficult to predict the likelihood of successful implementation. To investigate these emergent behaviours and project complexity, I am utilising a number of OR techniques, including Qualitative Data Analysis, Social Network Analysis, Agent-Based Modelling and Simulation, along with Cybernetics and various Systems Thinking approaches.
Professional Role
Dr Williams is a Member of the Department's Engagement Strategic Team and a Member of the Pendle College Advisor Team (PCAT).
He has previously been the Early Career Representative on the University Research Committee (2014-15); the Director of Part I Undergraduate Studies in Management Science (2015-16); a Member of the Department's Undergraduate Teaching Steering Committee (2013-2020); a Member of the Department's Research & Enterprise Steering Committee (2017-18); Director of Business Analytics and Consultancy degree and the Director of Part II UG Studies within the Department of Management Science (2018-2020); and a Member of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (2016-2019).
Career Details
- 2019 + Senior Lecturer in Management Science, Department of Management Science, Lancaster University
- 2015 - 2019 Lecturer in Management Science, Department of Management Science, Lancaster University
- 2013 - 2015 SAMS-ESRC-UKCES Management and Business Development Fellow, Department of Management Science, Lancaster University
- 2004 - 2009 Project Manager (Consultant), Oracle Corporation UK Ltd
- 2001 - 2004 Applications Consultant (Programmer), Oracle Corporation UK Ltd
- 1999 - 2000 Associate Consultant, Cambridge Professional Development Ltd
Current Teaching
MSCI105 Project Challenge (2015-19)
MSCI251 Project Management Tools and Techniques (2013-18, 2021-22)
MSCI304 Developing Management Information Systems (2018-19)
MSCI390 Business Analytics & Consultancy Consolidation Project (2016-17, 2019-20, 2021-22)
MSCI610 Principles of Project Management (2017-18)
MSCI611 Applied Project Management (2017-18)
FMBA508 Digital Innovation in Business (2016-18)
STOR601 Simulation (2017-20)
Qualifications
Dr Williams has academic qualifications within the fields of Biochemistry (BSc Wales, MPhil Cambridge), Computational Biology (MRes York), Computer Science (MSc Kent), Computational Immunology (PhD York), and Higher Education (PGCertAP Lancaster). In addition he has a number of professional certifications and registrations, including: Chartered Professional Fellow and Chartered Engineer of the British Computer Society (CITP CEng FBCS), Project Management Professional of the Project Management Institute (PMP), Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (SMIEEE), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).
PhD Supervisions Completed
Dr Fred J. Ingram - Awarded 2020 - "An Agent-Based Classroom Lessons Model and Simulation" - Currently a Research Fellow at the University of Huddersfield
Dr Nicola Platt - Awarded 2023 - "Understanding cross-boundary information flow for care coordination: The case of an alcohol care pathway" - Currently a Research Associate at the University of Central Lancashire
Dr Abdulrahman Aldogiher - Awarded 2023 - "Effects of Saudi Arabian Culture on IS-Facilitated Change Processes in Healthcare"
Dr Drupad Parmar - Awarded 2023 - "Input Uncertainty and Data Collection Problems in Stochastic Simulation"
PhD Supervision Interests
Dr Williams is always interested in PhD students who have research interests around computational modelling and simulation of complex real-world systems. His expertise is within agent-based modelling and simulation of complex biological and social systems, however he is also interested in modelling and simulation techniques broadly. At present, he has three main research interests: 1) computational modelling and simulation of complex systems (including digital twinning) in order to allow us to use simulation-based experimentation to answer novel questions of the real-world; 2) using existing computational models to enable us to develop novel statistical and software engineering techniques to ensure that computational models, especially agent-based models, are fit-for-purpose; and 3) using Natural Computing to provide biological metaphors for novel functionality within computational modelling and computational intelligence (e.g., Artificial Immune Systems, Artificial Neural Networks, Evolutionary Algorithms, etc). Although he is an expert in agent-based modelling and simulation, he is also comfortable in supervising PhD students who would like to use alternative modelling paradigms, e.g. Differential Equations, System Dynamics, Discrete Event Simulation, etc. If you are interested in pursuing a PhD with Dr Williams, then please get in touch via email to discuss the computational paradigm(s) and the domain (i.e. case study, business process, epidemiological system) that you are interested in.
Being Discharged from Hospital: Patient, Caregiver and Staff Perspectives of Pathways 1 & 2 of the Discharge to Assess Model
01/04/2022 → 31/03/2023
Research
Input Uncertainty Quantification for Large-Scale Simulation Models
01/10/2019 → 31/03/2023
Research
Professional identity and HCP resistance to EHR change
01/10/2018 → 30/06/2023
Research
Competitor Intelligence and Product Innovation
02/04/2018 → 30/08/2019
Research
A national service development survey of Foundation doctors' medical ethics and law training
01/06/2017 → 01/06/2018
Other
Sociology of Donation
10/12/2014 → 30/09/2020
Research
Exploring Perceptions of Quality Umbilical Cord Blood in Stem Cell Treatments
01/07/2014 → 31/07/2016
Research
OR of Health and Illness
01/07/2014 → …
Research
Interprofessional Ethics Education
01/02/2014 → 01/05/2020
Other
An Investigation of Business-to-Business Relationships within Large Multi-Vendor Software Implementations based on Commitment-Trust Theory
01/10/2013 → 30/09/2015
Research
EPSRC (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Blackpool and the Fylde College (External organisation)
Membership of committee
2023 Simulation Workshop (Event)
Membership of committee
17th IEEE International Systems Conference (Event)
Membership of committee
Cogent Engineering (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Olayemi Oluwaleye
Hosting a student (Other)
Rachael Dibble
Hosting a student (Other)
IEEE International Conference on Recent Advances in Systems Science and Engineering (Event)
Membership of committee
IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Good (Event)
Membership of committee
Informing and Influencing Curriculum and Practice: Foundation Doctors' Medical Ethics and Legal Training Needs
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
14th IEEE International Systems Conference (Event)
Membership of committee
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Winter Simulation Conference 2019 (Event)
Membership of committee
The ‘Vulnerable’ Practitioner: Exploring the Ethical and Legal Training Needs of UK Foundation Doctors
Invited talk
60th Annual Conference of the Operational Research Society
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Exploring the Ethical and Legal Training Needs of Foundation Doctors
Oral presentation
Exploring the Ethical and Legal Training Needs of Foundation Doctors
Oral presentation
Royal Society for Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (External organisation)
Membership of network
Journal of Simulation (Journal)
Publication peer-review
MSMEs Adoption of Online Commerce: A Complex System
Invited talk
Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Blackpool & The Fylde College (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Careers Service, Lancaster University
Business Engagement
IIE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering (Journal)
Publication peer-review
BMC Systems Biology (Journal)
Publication peer-review
IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation 2017: Special Session on Artificial Immune Systems
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
6th Chartered Association of Business Schools Conference on Learning, Teaching and Student Experience
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Applied Mathematics, Modeling and Statistics Applications Conference (Event)
Membership of committee
BSA Deconstructing Donation Study Group Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
BSA Deconstructing Donation Study Group Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Takuya Matsushige
Hosting an academic visitor
Cambridge University Press (Publisher)
Publication peer-review
ICIS 2016 (Event)
Membership of committee
5th Chartered Association of Business Schools Conference on Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
BBSRC (External organisation)
Membership of committee
24th European Conference on Information Systems (Event)
Membership of committee
Project Management Institute (External organisation)
Member of Advisory Panel
The Royal Society
Business Engagement
Journal of Biomedical Informatics (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine (Journal)
Publication peer-review
ESRC Peer College Review (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Computation (Journal)
Editorial activity
European Conference on Artificial Life
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
8th Workshop on Complex Systems Modelling and Simulation
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
27th European Conference on Operational Research
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
The British Computer Society
Business Engagement
Kent Business School Networking and Graduate Careers Event
Invited talk
Science Signaling (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Synergy 2014
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Global Life Sciences and Bionetworking -- Cell therapy production, provision and policies
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Where will our IT Project Managers come from?
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
PLoS ONE (Journal)
Publication peer-review
7th Simulation Workshop (SW14)
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Natural Computing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
RCUK
School Engagement
11th International Conference on Artificial Immune Systems
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Systems Immunology Symposium
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
10th International Conference on Artificial Immune Systems
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
STEMNET (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network)
School Engagement
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Election to learned society
Chartered Biologist (CBiol)
Other distinction
Chartered IT Professional (CITP)
Other distinction
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Other distinction
Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (MIEEE)
Election to learned society
Elevation to Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (SMIEEE)
Election to learned society
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Election to learned society
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Election to learned society
Management and Business Development Fellowship
Fellowship awarded competitively
Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS)
Election to learned society
Chartered Engineer (CEng)
Other distinction
Full Member of Sigma Xi
Election to learned society
Certificate of Recognition by the British Citizen Award
Prize (including medals and awards)
Best Full Paper Award at the British Academy of Management (BAM) conference, in the 'Organisational Transformation, Change and Development’ Track
National/international honour
Centre for Family Business
Simulation and Stochastic Modelling
- Centre for Health Futures
- Centre for Technological Futures
- DSI - Health
- Health Systems
- Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous Systems Centre
- LIRA - Society and Human Behaviour
- Simulation and Stochastic Modelling
- STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training
- Technology, Systems and Organisation