Current Research

At the Charlotte Complex Systems Institute, we are performing research on some of the most intriguing and cutting-edge areas of research in our field. The areas that we focus on specifically are:

Swarm Intelligence and Collective Cognition

We are exploring how groups of simple agents produce sophisticated problem-solving capabilities that exceed individual capacities. This goes beyond traditional swarm robotics into understanding how collective cognition emerges in everything from slime molds to human organizations.

Temporal Networks and Higher-Order Interactions

Moving beyond static network analysis, our researchers are studying how network structures evolve over time and how interactions involve more than pairs (like triplets or larger groups). This reveals dynamics invisible in traditional network science.

Critical Transitions and Tipping Points

There’s growing work on predicting catastrophic shifts in complex systems – from ecosystems to financial markets to climate. Our researchers are developing early warning signals by detecting subtle changes in system dynamics before major transitions occur.

Complexity in Biological Computation

Understanding how cells, immune systems, and neural networks perform distributed computation without central control. This includes studying how biological systems balance robustness with adaptability.

Social-Ecological-Technological Systems

Studying the deeply intertwined dynamics of human societies, natural ecosystems, and technology infrastructures as single complex systems rather than separate domains. Climate adaptation and sustainable development increasingly require this integrated view.

Emergent Causality

Exploring how causation works across scales in complex systems – how macro-level patterns can have causal power that isn’t reducible to micro-level interactions, challenging traditional reductionist frameworks.