Connectionists: XIV GEFENOL-DIFENSC Summer Course on Statistical Physics of Complex Systems

[A. Torcini]

XIV GEFENOL-DIFENSC Summer School on Statistical Physics of Complex Systems

Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), July 6-17, 2026
Universidad de Alcalá (Madrid)
school2026.difensc.es/

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION extended: June 8, 2026

Statistical Physics, which was born as an attempt to explain
thermodynamic properties of systems from their atomic and molecular
components, has evolved into a solid body of knowledge that allows for
the understanding of macroscopic collective phenomena. The tools
developed by Statistical Physics, together with the Theory of
Dynamical Systems, are of key importance in the understanding of
Complex Systems, which are characterized by the emergent and
collective phenomena of many interacting units. While the basic body
of knowledge of Statistical Physics and Dynamical Systems is well
described in textbooks at the undergraduate or master level, the
applications to open problems in the context of Complex Systems are
well beyond the scope of those textbooks. Aiming at bridging this gap,
the Topical Group of the Division of Statistical, Nonlinear, and
Complex Systems Physics (DIFENSC) of the Royal Spanish Physical
Society is promoting the Summer School on Statistical Physics of
Complex Systems series, open to final year undergraduate students,
postgraduates, Ph.D. students, and young postdocs worldwide.

First Week, July 6-10:
    -Noise and Space in Biological Systems: From Stochastic
Simulations to Multiscale Hybrid Methods
      by Prof. Pilar Guerrero, University Carlos III Madrid (UC3M), Spain
    -Stochastic thermodynamics of heat and information engines
      by Prof. Édgar Roldán and Rafna Rafeek, International Centre for
Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy
    -Hard particle models in 2D: From soft matter to granular media
      by Profs. Enrique Velasco, University Autónoma Madrid (UAM), and
Yuri Martínez, University Carlos III Madrid (UC3M), Spain
Second Week, July 13-17:
    -Theory of diffusiophoretic self-propulsion
      by Prof. Álvaro Domínguez, University of Sevilla (US), Spain
    -From Active Matter Physics to Mechanobiology
      by Prof. Yulia Yeomans, University of Oxford, England
    -Next-generation neural mass models
      by Prof. Simona Olmi, Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Consiglio
Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISC-CNR), Italy

Courses will be taught in English. Participants are welcomed and
encouraged to present their research in a flash talk.

Registration fees:
-250 euros for 2 weeks
-130 euros for 1 selected week
The registration fees include lunches and coffee breaks on working
days. Lodging expenses are not included.