Introduction to Focus Issue: Nonautonomous dynamical systems: Theory, methods, and applications

This Focus Issue forms one part (NDS-G) of the Double Focus Issue on nonautonomous dynamical systems in the sciences that was published together with a second Focus Issue on nonautonomous dynamical systems in climate (NDS-C). Nonlinear dynamics has achieved a pre-eminent status in the mathematical, physical, and life sciences over the last couple of decades. A very significant recent direction is dealing with the role of time dependence in the forcing and parameters of the models under study. Paramount examples concern the role of anthropogenic effects on climate and biodiversity as well as machine learning and biomedical problems. The mathematical theory of such effects is developing rapidly via the study of nonautonomous and random dynamical systems. Applications are blossoming and have in return been driving further developments of the theory, as we discuss in this Focus Issue.