Geoffrey West

Geoffrey West is a theoretical physicist whose primary interests have been in fundamental questions in physics, especially those concerning the elementary particles, their interactions, and cosmological implications. A past president of the multidisciplinary Santa Fe Institute, West now studies the behavior and development of cities. In his newest work, he proposes that one simple number, population, can predict a stunning array of details about any city, from crime rate to economic activity. It is all about the plumbing, he says, the infrastructure that powers growth or dysfunction. His next target for study: corporations.