DUTCH INSTITUTE FOR
EMERGENT PHENOMENA
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>> Workshop on out-of-equilibrium systems
>> DIEP journal club
>> DIEP now part of Institute for Advanced Study
DIEP
Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena
Connecting the science of emergence across the Netherlands and beyond
The Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (DIEP) is an interdisciplinary research centre across fundamental sciences with the purpose of furthering the understanding of emergent phenomena. It aims at understanding how the universe, space, time and the fundamental building blocks of matter emerged from the quantum world and how these building blocks aggregate forming the nano, molecular and polymeric structures that ultimately give rise to the macroscopic world we experience today. Emergent phenomena are extremely common in nature and their manifestation is based on the same underlying principles across sciences. Using analytic, numerical, experimental and philosophical methods available from quantum gravity, mathematics, physics, chemistry and philosophy of science, DIEP takes a transdisciplinary approach in tackling emergent behaviour. Integrated in the National Science Agenda (route 2), DIEP will gather research groups and scientists across the Netherlands and beyond and establish itself as a beacon for a new understanding of nature and emergence.
What is the science of emergence?
The universe is composed of microscopic building blocks and the world we see around us is the result of a combination of millions of billions of billions of those blocks. When we walk through the streets of our cities, we do not see these microscopic elements of the universe but instead cars and buses smoothly driving pass by us. If we would carry our microscopes and particle accelerators with us, we would be able to see some part of that microscopic world but we usually carry nothing more than a pair of Ray-Ban glasses. The world we see with our own eyes is governed by laws that originated from a microscopic world but the laws that govern that microscopic world are completely different. The world we experience is said to have emerged from a world that only microscopes can reach. All the smooth experiences of wind blowing, music, sound or touch are the result of these emergent laws.
Out-of-equilibrium systems, emergence, life
DIEP and Origins workshop series
June 2021-February 2022 (online and in person)
Information at all length scales
DIEP focus session at Physics@Veldhoven 2021
18th or 20th of January 2021 (online)
DIEP Workshop: Hydrodynamics at all length scales
from high-energy to hard and soft matter
18th - 22nd of November 2019 @ Lorentz Center Snellius | Leiden
Science & Cocktails: archeology with stars
Amina Helmi
DIEP outreach platform |Monday 28th of September 2020 @ Paradiso (Main Hall)
DIEP focus session at community building day
Integrated in the community building day of Route 2 (see full programme), on May 25th 2018, The Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena, one of the Game Changers in the Route organised a focus session featuring talks by Jácome Armas, Vijay Balasubramanian, Alix McCollam, Frank Redig, Joop Schaye and Daan Frenkel.
During this exciting session, you had the opportunity to hear about DIEP's structure, opportunities and future plans in a talk by Jácome Armas (UvA) as well as attend representative talks of its focus areas by Vijay Balasubramanian (U. Penn: brains and black holes), Alix McCollam (RU: emergence in condensed matter), Frank Redig (TU Delft: emergent macro-dynamics), Joop Schaye (U. Leiden: simulating the universe) and Daan Frenkel (U. Cambridge: merging and emerging behaviour).
DIEP Visitors Programme: call for applications
DIEP aims at promoting interactions between researchers and scientists whose research focuses on emergent phenomena. For this purpose DIEP awards travel grants to interested groups. In order to apply for funds send an e-mail to with a description of the scientists involved, the research purpose in line with DIEP as well as an estimated cost. In the section on Emergence, you will find the different focus areas that DIEP has preference in supporting.
Emergence at all length scales
Focus session on emergence| 22nd January 2019 | Physics@Veldhoven
Piers Coleman
Jan de Boer
Marjolein Dijkstra
Klaas Landsman
Organizers and chairs: Jay Armas, Peter Bolhuis, Alix McCollam
