Complexity Science Hub

23/03/2026

Join us in welcoming Christopher Kimmel to the Complexity Science Hub as a new Research Assistant!

Christopher joins our Transforming Economies research group, led by Frank Neffke, where his master's thesis focuses on developing an AI agent to process historical patent data – tracing how collaboration and invention have evolved over centuries.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Vienna and is currently pursuing a master's in Innovation Sciences at Utrecht University. Beyond academia, he is co-founder of Cyan Cycle, a government-funded startup that recycles CO₂ into biomass.

Welcome, Christopher! 👋

🔗 More about Christopher: https://bit.ly/4s2EXh4
🔗 More about the Transforming Economies research group: https://bit.ly/4rxv4XQ

18/03/2026

🔬 We're hiring!
Wars. Pandemics. Climate shocks. Global supply chains are under pressure — and the consequences reach far beyond logistics. How do disruptions affect resource use, inequality, and social well-being? Can we build more resilient systems?

At the Complexity Science Hub, we're tackling these questions with unique firm-level data, big data approaches, and complexity science methods. As part of a new interdisciplinary project, we're looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to further develop an Agent-Based Model simulating the socio-economic impacts of global transition processes – working closely with a diverse research team.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿:
A computational thinker with a PhD, strong modeling experience (especially ABMs), and a passion for working at the intersection of economics and complexity science.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿:
📍 Vienna
⏳ 3-year fully funded position (2+1)
🌐 Access to a global network of leading researchers

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: April 1, 2026
🔗 More infos: https://bit.ly/4raZ3EI

More about our team working on Supply Chain Science: https://bit.ly/408zuZV

16/03/2026

🌟 We're excited to welcome Allison Owen to the Complexity Science Hub as a new PhD candidate!

Allison joins our Digital Currency Ecosystems research group, led by Bernhard Haslhofer, where she investigates how money launderers incorporate virtual assets into their established criminal networks — and the behavioral patterns that give them away.

She brings a rare combination of expertise: a background in Electrical Engineering, graduate studies in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies and International Affairs, and published research on virtual asset crime, proliferation finance, and crypto regulation.

Welcome, Allison! 👋

More about Allison: https://bit.ly/3N222S1

12/03/2026

We know what it means for a laptop to compute. But can the same be said for a cell, a brain, or a chemical reaction? Until now, there was no formal way to even answer that question. Researchers Jan Korbel from the Complexity Science Hub and David Wolpert from the Santa Fe Institute argue that natural systems can also be viewed as computers, and present a new formal framework to identify and examine computations in any dynamic system.

⚙️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮:
A system is considered "computing" if its dynamics can be mathematically described like a computer – regardless of whether it does so consciously.

⚗️ 𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲:
In a chemical reaction, the initial concentrations are the input, the reactions the processing, and the final concentrations the output.

💡 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:
The approach could help harness natural processes to solve real-world problems and deepen our understanding of the role information and computation play in nature.

🔗 Learn more: https://csh.ac.at/news/from-laptops-to-cells-what-does-it-mean-to-compute/

This study is part of the REMASS - Emerging fields research project.

06/03/2026

Europe is investing heavily in sovereign AI infrastructure – but infrastructure without accessibility is only half the story. To close that gap, Complexity Science Hub researcher Georg Heiler built an open-source tool that makes supercomputers accessible – meet dagster-slurm!

⚠️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀
Supercomputers are among the most powerful computing resources in the world but using them often requires deep specialist knowledge most researchers and companies simply don't have. As a result, vast computing capacity remains underutilized.

🔧 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀
Dagster-slurm lowers the barrier to use a supercomputer. Researchers can take the same work they run on their laptop and execute it on a national supercomputer – as if moving it from a small desk to a much larger one. No rebuilding, no specialist support needed. Progress and performance are tracked automatically in one place.

👥 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿
Researchers running AI and machine learning workloads, research software engineers managing scientific data pipelines, and companies looking to use European supercomputing infrastructure without deep expertise in cluster administration.

💡 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁
Georg and colleagues Hernán Picatto and Maximilian Laurent Heß from the Supply Chain Intelligence Institute Austria (ASCII) – brought this idea to life at the EuroCC Austria AI 2025, organized by Austrian Scientific Computing (ASC), Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, Academic Computer Centre CYFRONET AGH, and supported by NVIDIA, among others. A great example of research expertise translating directly into practical impact.

🔗 Learn more: https://csh.ac.at/news/making-supercomputers-easier-to-use/
🔗 Check out dagster-slurm: https://dagster-slurm.geoheil.com

06/03/2026

🎡 Vienna, August 24–28. 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
How do you make complexity understandable? Some phenomena are too complex to explain. How diseases spread, how cities grow, how systems fail. They have to be shown. That's the premise behind our 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 at the Complexity Science Hub – returning for its fourth edition this summer.

The workshop is hosted by CSH's Liuhuaying Yang, our data visualization expert, who has shaped this program into a hands-on, practice-based space where researchers, designers, and journalists explore communicating complexity visually – clearly and honestly, together with Paul Kahn.

This year, guest speakers include:
🎤 Marco Hernandez — graphics editor and data storyteller at the New York Times
🎤 Cary Staples — professor of Graphic Design at the University of Tennessee
🎤 Nathalie Miebach — data sculptor at the intersection of art and science

Applications are open until March 30.
🔗 https://vis.csh.ac.at/vis-workshop-2026/

05/03/2026

🌟 "How a mathematician is cracking open Mexico's powerful drug cartels" – with this title, spotlights our researcher Rafael Prieto-Curiel.

The piece traces how Rafael uses mathematical models to study what is otherwise very hard to measure: the scale and dynamics of organized crime. His work estimated that by 2022, Mexico's cartels employed around 175,000 people – making them the fifth-largest "employer" in the country. His modelling suggests that policies aimed at preventing people from joining organized crime groups could be more effective at reducing violence than those focused solely on incarceration.

Research that requires not just mathematical skill, but – that could make a real difference. Congrats, Rafael! 👏

🔗 Take a read: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00299-0
🔗 More about the study: https://csh.ac.at/news/curbing-the-violence-by-mexican-cartels/

05/03/2026

🍄 Next week at the Complexity Science Hub: 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 12𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝘁 & 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁

Invisible yet everywhere, fungi quietly shape our world. And perhaps that’s what makes them so fascinating. So it's time to put these underground architects in the spotlight in our next edition of Art & Science at the Complexity Science Hub.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://csh.ac.at/events/art-science-with-bernd-koller-joseph-strauss-mycelium/
Feel free to this invitation

This event brings together art and science, exploring fungi from mycelial networks to molecular mechanisms of growth, diversity, and function.

🎨 Artist 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 presents 𝘔𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘮: a body of work of graphics and ceramic objects that explore growth, transformation, and material intelligence. The pieces unfold like fungal networks themselves — layered, interconnected, and shifting between surface and space, print and object.

🔬 Scientist 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘀 from BOKU University shares the scientific perspective. His research focuses on molecular genetics and functional genomics of filamentous fungi, including transcriptional regulation, chromatin and epigenetic control, secondary metabolism, and the ecological and agricultural roles of fungi.

____
This program is made possible thanks to the Stadt Wien.

Bernd Koller's work Mycelium, consisting of graphics and objects, dates back to a study residency in Jingdezhen, China, in 2012, where the first ink drawings

04/03/2026

🇪🇺 Last Saturday, we had the great pleasure of welcoming European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner to the Complexity Science Hub – proof that the challenges of our time don’t observe office hours, and neither does European policy.

Together with CSH President Stefan Thurner, Secretary General Philipp Marxgut, and CSH Faculty Ljubica Nedelkoska, Frank Neffke, and Bernhard Haslhofer, we explored how complexity science and data can inform European policy in different areas:

💰 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀:
Cryptocurrencies form a rapidly evolving and highly interconnected ecosystem. By analyzing large-scale, openly available transaction data, scientific methods help authorities distinguish legitimate activity from illicit patterns, enabling informed, evidence-based actions.

🌍 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
Europe’s migration system stands out for both its scale and diversity compared to other regions. Yet the EU27 attracts fewer highly skilled migrants than Anglo-Saxon countries, facing a dual challenge: integrating large numbers of lower-skilled migrants while making better use of highly educated foreign talent. Language barriers, certification requirements, and labor market frictions all play a role – they ultimately shape Europe’s ability to compete in high-skill sectors. With complexity science, we can track these dynamics to help take data-driven, rather than anecdotal, action.

🚚 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀:
Emerging technologies and AI are revolutionizing supply chain visibility across Europe. By mapping entire networks in real time, these tools allow us to uncover hidden dependencies, monitor emerging risks, and track diversification efforts as they happen. This is a game-changer for Europe’s strategic autonomy, efficient resource allocation, and long-term economic resilience.

Many thanks for the engaging discussion – we look forward to continuing it!

European Commission

03/03/2026

📢 We’re hiring in Complexity Science!

The Complexity Science Hub is opening 2–3 Postdoc positions in our international . If you're ready to build your own independent research program at the intersection of data science, complex systems, and real-world impact, this might be exactly the right next step.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀
🌟 One year of funding to develop your own research agenda
🎯 Hands-on training in research leadership, science communication, and data ethics
🎡 A vibrant, interdisciplinary community in one of the world’s most liveable cities
🧑‍🏫 Individualized guidance from an international team of advisors

🔬 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀
For this call, we are particularly interested in projects related to key technology sectors and innovation, supply chain intelligence, systemic risk analysis, applied AI, integrated transportation networks, sustainable mobility, sustainable cities, socio-ecological modeling and green resilience, impacts of climate change, social cohesion, and tools/methods for handling and analyzing large datasets.

💡 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
Addressing challenges such as redesigning mobility and energy systems, optimizing supply chains and production processes, understanding the impact of misinformation on societies, or reducing cybercrime is inherently complex. It requires analyzing vast amounts of data to generate insights that support better decision-making.

🔗 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: https://csh.ac.at/education/postdoc-program/
👉 If you are interested or know someone who might be a great fit, and with your network!

Postdocs at CSH benefit from the collective expertise of our member network, gaining unique insights and guidance while developing the skills needed for future leadership roles – members of the Complexity Science Hub include:
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, BOKU University, Central European University, Interdisciplinary Transformation University (IT:U), Medizinische Universität Wien, TU Wien, TU Graz, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems, Vetmeduni, WU (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien), and the Wirtschaftskammer.

25/02/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗦 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲?

A new study by the Complexity Science Hub, in collaboration with Harvard's Growth Lab, points to one key factor: industrial research labs.

These labs reshaped who invented, where innovations happened, and how breakthroughs were achieved. And today, the story feels eerily familiar – at a time when a handful of research labs within major tech giants are driving the rapid advancement of AI.

Frank Neffke and his team analyzed a remarkable dataset: hundreds of thousands of historical documents covering 1.6 million patents by millions of inventors between 1856 and 2000.

𝗞𝗘𝗬 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦

↗️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: The US’s transition to a leading economy was not gradual; it happened abruptly in the early 1920s.

🤝 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀: Companies began hiring teams of specialized engineers and scientists. The industrial research lab—originally a German idea—sparked collaboration and unleashed an explosion of innovation.

🥼 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿: Engineers made up just 0.7% of the US population but accounted for 25% of all patents by 1945.

❌ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲: Women and immigrants were largely shut out of the new system.

🤖 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗲𝗿𝗮: This provides a new perspective on today’s AI breakthroughs, which are being driven by a revival of R&D labs at tech giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon.

The study was conducted by Matte Hartog, Andres Gomez-Lievano, Ricardo Hausmann, and Frank Neffke from the Complexity Science Hub, Harvard's Growth Lab, and Interdisciplinary Transformation University, and funded by FFG Forschung wirkt.

🔗 Learn more:

It's a small number of research labs inside tech giants that are driving the rapid rise of AI today. But this is not the first time such labs have taken center stage, a new study shows.

25/02/2026

What can complexity science offer to modern governance? It was a great pleasure to welcome Sepp Schellhorn, State Secretary for European and International Affairs of Austria, and Stefan Gara, Member of the City Council at Stadt Wien, to the Complexity Science Hub for a conversation with CSH President Stefan Thurner and Secretary General Philipp Marxgut about one of the most consequential questions of our time: how can data and digitalization help us to better understand – and govern – complex societies more effectively?

Among the topics:

🏥 𝗢𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵: Medical records, treatment pathways, and prescription data, linked and analyzed at scale, reveal patterns invisible to individual clinicians or institutions. We therefore need to combine our healthcare data to make information actionable, support causal insight, and, especially when paired with AI, improve diagnosis and prognosis. At the system level, integrated data use strengthens planning and financial sustainability.

🏭 𝗢𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀: New technologies and AI are transforming supply chain visibility across Europe. By leveraging granular VAT data – collected transaction by transaction – we can now map entire supply networks in real time, identifying hidden dependencies, monitoring risks, and tracking diversification. This is a game changer for strengthening Europe's open strategic autonomy.

🔒 𝗢𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲: What once sounded like science fiction is fast becoming operational reality. CSH is collaborating with Bavarian authorities to trace crypto flows and map financial networks – surfacing hidden connections at a scale and speed that traditional investigative methods simply cannot match.

🌍 𝗢𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: A data-driven monitor could dynamically show how demographic change affects sectors such as housing, education, health, and labor markets, providing evidence-based analysis where policymakers need it most.

These are just a few examples of a broader imperative: most policy-relevant questions rarely live within a single domain. Connected, cross-sector data are what make them answerable – whether the question is how migration reshapes local economies, or how early childhood health shapes labor market outcomes a decade later.

Many thanks to State Secretary Schellhorn and Stefan Gara for their visit. We look forward to continuing the conversation.