Complex Systems and Biological Physics

The study of complex systems encompasses a wide variety of topics, raising both fundamental questions and interdisciplinary applications in biological and social sciences, among others. The analysis of data and the use of theoretical tools that come from thermodynamics, statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics allow to address specific problems that in turn can generate new general questions.

At IFUNAM, research is carried out on non-linear dynamics, in particular on pattern formation, dynamics at the threshold of chaos, the non-linear Schrödinger equation and noise transport phenomena, among others. The origin of life, its relationship with irreversible thermodynamics and the origin of chirality in biological molecules are also studied. Other research focuses on genetic regulation networks, Boolean dynamics, metabolic networks, the dynamics of fragmented ecosystems, and animal foraging. Also of interest are the study of word statistics in texts, the evolution of languages, and rank distributions in arts and sciences in general. Research is also carried out on the dynamics of opinions in social systems, the dynamics of conflicts, the co-evolution of complex networks, the empirical analysis of social networks and mobility, as well as as its modeling.