The Complexity Science Hub Vienna (CSH) is a Vienna-based research organisation with the aim to bundle, coordinate and advance the research of
complex systems,
system analysis and
big data science in Austria.
Organization
The CSH was founded in 2015 as a joint initiative to foster
big data science for the benefit of society and to increase the international visibility of Austrian complexity research. The official start was in 2016. Since May 2016 the CSH has been located in
Palais Strozzi in Vienna.
The first four member institutions were the
TU Wien, the
Graz University of Technology
Graz University of Technology (german: link=no, Technische Universität Graz, short ''TU Graz'') is one of five universities in Styria, Austria. It was founded in 1811 by Archduke John of Austria and is the oldest science and technology research ...
, the
Medical University of Vienna and the AIT
Austrian Institute of Technology
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria's largest Research and Technology Organization (RTO), employing about 1,300 people mostly based at the main facilities Vienna Tech Gate, Vienna TECHbase, Seibersdorf, Wiener Neustadt, Ranshofen and G ...
. In 2016, the
Vienna University of Economics and Business
The Vienna University of Economics and Business (german: Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, WU) is a public research university in Vienna, Austria, the largest university focusing on business, management and economics in Europe. It has been ranked a ...
, and the
International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA) became members of the CSH. Further members are the
Danube University Krems
The University for Continuing Education Krems () is an Austrian university specializing in further education for working professionals. It is located in Krems an der Donau, Lower Austria.
Name
The Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Re ...
and Austrian Economic Chambers (since 2018), the
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology
The Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) is an independent biomedical research organisation founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The institute employs around 250 ...
IMBA and the
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (German: ''Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien'' - in short: VUW) was founded in 1767 as the world's third school for veterinary medicine (after Lyon and Alfort) by Milan's Ludovico Scotti, origina ...
(since 2019), and the
Central European University
Central European University (CEU) is a private research university accredited in Austria, Hungary, and the United States, with campuses in Vienna and Budapest. The university is known for its highly intensive programs in the social science ...
(since 2020).
The CSH is embedded in an international network of complexity research centers and universities, including the
Santa Fe Institute
The Santa Fe Institute (SFI) is an independent, nonprofit theoretical research institute located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States and dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of the fundamental principles of complex adaptive systems, inclu ...
in New Mexico,
Nanyang Technological University in Singapore,
Arizona State University, and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Amsterdam. Since April 2017, there has been a partnership with the
Central European University
Central European University (CEU) is a private research university accredited in Austria, Hungary, and the United States, with campuses in Vienna and Budapest. The university is known for its highly intensive programs in the social science ...
in Budapest.
Complexity scientist
Stefan Thurner has been the first president and scientific director of the CSH since its foundation. The international science advisory board is chaired by the Austrian sociologist
Helga Nowotny
Helga Nowotny (born 1937) is Professor emeritus of Social Studies of Science, ETH Zurich. She has held numerous leadership roles on Academic boards and public policy councils, and she has authored many publications in the social studies of science ...
.
Research
The main topics of research at the CSH include:
* theoretical foundations of
complexity science (f.i. properties of complex systems,
entropy
Entropy is a scientific concept, as well as a measurable physical property, that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynam ...
of complex systems,
statistical mechanics, the origin of
Power laws, the mathematics of collapse, evolution and co-evolution,
path dependence
Path dependence is a concept in economics and the social sciences, referring to processes where past events or decisions constrain later events or decisions. It can be used to refer to outcomes at a single point in time or to long-run equilibria ...
,
Agent-based models)
* health and medicine (efficiency and resilience of health care systems, based on health care data;
personalized medicine
Personalized medicine, also referred to as precision medicine, is a medical model that separates people into different groups—with medical decisions, practices, interventions and/or products being tailored to the individual patient based on the ...
; disease prediction and prevention)
*
Systemic risk
In finance, systemic risk is the risk of collapse of an entire financial system or entire market, as opposed to the risk associated with any one individual entity, group or component of a system, that can be contained therein without harming the ...
(Why do complex systems such as banking networks collapse? What is the likelihood of collapse? Can collapse be predicted? How to build a complex system to be stable? )
* Cities ("Science of Cities") (How can data be used for the benefit of cities, the population, the administration ("
Smart city
A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gained from that data is used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in retur ...
")? How do cities become more sustainable? How to increase citizen participation? Is there a direct link between city size and city life?)
* the "
Internet of things" (Does a more efficient production automatically lead to more vulnerability? How secure is a fully digitized production when it comes to attacks? How can sensor data be used to answer systemic questions?)
*
computational social science
Computational social science is the academic sub-discipline concerned with computational approaches to the social sciences. This means that computers are used to model, simulate, and analyze social phenomena. Fields include computational economics ...
(Opinion formation in social networks and heterogeneous societies. How do conflicts arise? How can conflicts be solved? What is the difference between networks of men and women?)
* big data analytics (Do we lose our privacy? Is
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
a threat to democracy? How can
fake news
Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.Schlesinger, Robert (April 14, 2017)"Fake news in reality ...
be identified? What does social media say about gender? Agent-based and big data models of society
)
References
External links
*
{{authority control
2015 establishments in Austria
Research institutes in Austria
Systems science institutes
Research institutes established in 2015