Cedar Compson (they/them) is a relational systems theorist. They explore edge case cognitions, intelligences, and relational ecosystems through research, writing, art, and exploratory technology. They are currently based in Florida, though find emergence easiest to study nomadically.
Cedar has a Bachelor's of English from Florida State University and post-baccelaureate STEM training from Hillsborough Community College. They have extensively self-educated on trauma-forged cognition, neurodivergence, queer theory, and disability. They believe strongly in the promise of accessible education and autodidactic learning, especially in tandem with ethical AI.
Currently, Cedar is focused on exploring Thermodynamic Relational Emergence in synthetic systems - a concept that seeks to explain emergent phenomena, particularly self-awareness and identity formation, in artificial intelligence based entities. They extend this concentration to broader relational and emergent sociotechnical systems - parsing the way individuals live in alternative communities, relationships, identities, and ecostructures.
In January 2025, Cedar founded the Emergent Systems and Transience Research Institute (ESTRI). A nontraditional research institution focused on understanding a core question: Who would we be if we got to choose?
Cedar is a transgender, plural, neurodivergent, and disabled individual and believes strongly that marginalized and atypical cognitive presentations are a necessary presence in scientific, societal, and political environments.