Collective behaviour in networks and life-like matter
DIEP Workshop | November 18th 2026| 12:00 - 17:00 | NU-9A46, NU-Building, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1111, 1081 HV Amsterdam
Organizers: Chris Bick, Bob Rink, Cyriel van Velzen
Abstract
The EAAS Work Package 4 workshop “Collective Behavior in Networks and Life-like Matter” brings together researchers to explore collective phenomena in complex networks, active matter, and biological and physical systems. Topics include synchronization, computation in complex materials, emergent behavior, and nonlinear dynamics, with presentations by PhD students and postdoctoral researchers and opportunities for scientific discussion.
Confirmed invited speakers
Stan Koenis is a PhD student at Utrecht University. He is interested in soft condensed matter and complex systems, and is currently working on making inaminate matter have intelligent behaviour.
Stan Koenis
(Utrecht University)
Cyriel van Velzen is a PhD student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, supervised by Bob Rink and Christian Bick, working on the project Collective dynamics in active oscillator networks. His research uses dynamical systems theory to understand how large networks of interacting units spontaneously organise into collective motion, a mechanism underlying the behaviour of active and intelligent materials.
Cyriel van Velzen
(Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Bernat Durà Faulí is a PhD researcher in the Mechanical Metamaterials group at AMOLF, led by Prof. Martin van Hecke.
Bernat Dura Fauli
(AMOLF)
Molly Jagoe Brown is a PhD student at the Korteweg-de Vries Institute, University of Amsterdam. She is interested in exploring the connection between graph polynomials and active matter systems. Her Master's research on Kontsevich graph deformations of Nambu-Poisson structures was conducted under the supervision of Arthemy V. Kiselev at the University of Groningen.
Molly Jagoe Brown
(University of Amsterdam)
David Hintzen is a PhD candidate at Leiden University. His research is on animate matter and mechanical metamaterials, with a focus on how we can design and build intelligent materials that can perceive, adapt and respond when faced with external stimuli. Both at the microscopic and macroscopic scale.
David Hintzen
(University of Leiden)
Alejandro Fernandez-Jimenez
(Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Schedule and Registration
Timetable:
12:00-13:00 Arrival and lunch in NU-9A46
13:00-13:45 Stan Koenis: Memory and Computation in Hysteretic Flow Networks
Cyriel van Velzen: Synchronization in the higher-order Kuramoto model
13:45-14:15 Bernat Dura Fauli: What do multistable materials compute?
14:15-14:45 Coffee break & discussion
14:45-15:30 Molly Jagoe Brown: Overview of the Cellular Potts Model and its applications in emergence
David Hintzen: Title TBA
15:30-16:00 Alejandro Fernandez-Jimenez: A deterministic particle approximation for a fourth-order aggregation-diffusion equation
16:00-16:30 Coffee break & discussion
16:30-17:00 Yuan Zhou: A deterministic particle approximation for a fourth-order aggregation-diffusion equation
17:00- More discussion and drinks at Bar Boele (inside the NU building)
Participation, lunch and drinks are free of charge. However, for catering purposes, could you please fill out this google form if you want to attend?
Organisers
Bob Rink
(Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Chris Bick
(Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
