John Kineman

Years of service 2015-2016 Degree(s) BSc Earth physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1972 MSc environmental science and ecology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1989 PhD in Environmental Studies (Ecosystem Science, Policy, and Ethics), University of Colorado, Boulder, 2007 Field(s) of Study Earth physics Environmental science Ecology Policy Ethics University(ies) University of California, Los Angeles University of Colorado, Boulder Specialization(s) Environmental Studies Notable Achievements Developed a theory of natural system wholeness, publishing the first synthesis of Robert Rosen’s relational theory in 2011, later termed “R-Theory” or “Relational Holon Theory,” and exploring its conceptual parallels with Vedic philosophy. External Links https://www.colorado.edu/envs/john-kineman

John Kineman was President of the International Society of Systemic Sciences in 2015-2016.

Academia and career

John Kineman received his Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Physics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1972. After seventeen years in public service, he earned an interdisciplinary Master of Science degree in 1989 from the University of Colorado Boulder, combining environmental science and ecology. In 2007, he completed a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies (Ecosystem Science, Policy, and Ethics) at the same institution.

Following his graduation from UCLA in 1972, Kineman began his career at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He served in various scientific and operational roles, including oceanographic research at sea collecting geophysical, oceanographic, and climate data, Solar Forecaster at the Space Environment Services Center in Boulder, Colorado, and member of the NOAA–Coast Guard Spilled Oil Research (SOR) Team under the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP). His master’s dissertation examined the Tsesis oil spill in the Baltic Sea.

Kineman later joined the Kenya Wildlife Conservation and Management Department (later reorganized as the Kenya Wildlife Service) through the U.S. Peace Corps as a Senior Research Warden. He also participated in field research activities, including a census of mountain gorillas under the direction of Dr. Sandy Harcourt at the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda.

He subsequently returned to NOAA at the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), where he developed ecological distribution modeling techniques and ecological characterization datasets for emerging U.S. and international global change programs. He also led development of the Data and Information Management component of NOAA’s Center for Ecosystems Health in Charleston, South Carolina.

In 1997, Kineman joined the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder. After retiring from government service in 2005, he continued there as a senior research scientist. Building on the work of mathematical biologist Robert Rosen, he completed his doctoral research in 2007 focusing on ecological informatics, ecological niche modeling, and complex systems theory.

From 2007 to 2008, he conducted postdoctoral research in India under a Fulbright grant, serving as an Honorary Adjunct Fellow at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). His subsequent work sought to develop a theory of natural system wholeness, synthesizing Rosen’s relational biology into what he later termed “R-Theory” or “Relational Holon Theory.” He has described conceptual parallels between this framework and certain ideas in Vedic philosophy. In 2020, he co-published an updated synthesis of this work with his doctoral advisor, Carol Wessman.

Kineman has held visiting appointments at the Indian Institute of Science (Bengaluru), the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Puttaparthi), and Vignan’s University (Vadlamudi). He served as President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) during 2015–2016, during which he organized the annual conference under the theme of sustainable socioecological systems.

Academia.edu: [1]

Personal Life

John Jay Kineman (born 1949) is an American physical scientist and theoretical ecologist. He is affiliated with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder. He has served as President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) and is a Fellow of the Sri Sathya Sai Center for Human Values in Puttaparthi, India.

Kineman is known for his work in geographical information systems (GIS), ecological characterization, ecological niche modeling, complex systems theory, and Vedic studies.

Video Presentations

ISSS Past-President Page: https://www.isss.org/past-presidents/

This page contains several links to actities during the presidency of Roelien Goede including links to the ISSS 2023 conference and memories of ISSS 2023 page.

Selected Publications

• John J. Kineman and Bradley O. Parks (eds.), Ecological characterization : recommendations of a science review panel: workshop held March 9–10, 1995, at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
• Rosen, Judith, and John Jay Kineman. "Anticipatory systems and time: a new look at Rosennean complexity." Systems Research and Behavioral Science 22.5 (2005): 399-412.
• Kineman, John J. "Relational science: a synthesis." Axiomathes 21.3 (2011): 393-437.
• Kineman, John J. (December 2017). "A causal framework for integrating contemporary and Vedic holism". Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology. 131: 402–423. doi:10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2017.09.011. PMID 28943341.
• Krupanidhi, Srirama; Madhan Sai, N.; Leung, Homan; Kineman, John J. (September 2017). "The Leaf as a Sustainable and Renewable System: The Leaf as a Sustainable and Renewable System". Systems Research and Behavioral Science. 34 (5): 564–576. doi:10.1002/sres.2487.
• Kineman, John (2019). "Science of a Living Universe". Proceedings of the 63rd Annual Meeting of the ISSS - 2019 Corvallis, OR, USA.
• Kineman, J. J., & Wessman, C. A. Relational Systems Ecology: Holistic Ecology and Causal Closure. In G. Metcalf, H. Deguchi, & K. Kijima (Eds.), Handbook of Systems Sciences. Springer (2020).
• Kineman, J. J., & Wessman, C. A. Relational Systems Ecology: The Anticipatory Niche and Complex Model Coupling. In G. Metcalf, H. Deguchi, & K. Kijima (Eds.), Handbook of Systems Sciences. Springer (2020).

Citations

Academia.edu: [2]