John Collier studied Planetary Science at the Massachusetts Insititute of Technology, Philosophy at the University of Californuia and the University of Western Ontario. He has worked as a geophysical scientist for the Earth Physics Branch of the Canadian Government, and has taught at universities in Canada, the US and Australia. He was a Canada Research Fellow form 1987 to 1991, and a Research Associate with the Unviersity of Newcastle, Australia Complex Adaptive Systems Rseaerch Group from 1994-2001. His current research is on reduction in complex systems, autonomy, and evolutionary ethics.