James J. Kay - Biography

Biography

James Kay held a BS in Physics from McGill University and a Ph.D in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled Self-Organization in Living Systems. Much of his work relates to integrating thermodynamics into an understanding of self-organization in biological systems. For example, when water in a pot is heated, it will spontaneously form convection currents such as Bénard_cell. This is an example where as the amount of energy available to a system increases, the system self-organizes in order to dissipate energy more efficiently. Kay has examined how similar types of self-organization can occur within living systems at the level of individual organisms and ecosystems. In other words, organisms and ecosystems evolve to use the maximum amount of energy available to them. This has been backed up by studies showing that more mature ecosystems such as old growth forests are cooler (i.e. dissipate more incoming energy) than clear cuts or bare rock that receive the same amount of energy.

Kay was an Associate Professor of Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo, with cross-appointments in Systems Design Engineering, Geography, Management Sciences, and the School of Planning. He was also cross-posted to the School of Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph.