Many complex systems in physics, biology, engineering and economics are characterized by a large number of interacting degrees of freedom giving rise to a non-trivial collective behavior. The theoretical and computational tools for a quantitative analysis of complex systems are often rooted in modern (statistical, quantum) physics. The Spring College on the Physics of Complex Systems gives students the opportunity to get in touch with a selection of topics at the forefront of research during an intensive 4-week program. It consists of 5 courses of 9 lectures each, followed by final written tests.
Henri ORLAND (CEA, France) Electrostatic Interactions in Soft and Biological Matter
Shahin ROUHANI (Sharif U., Tehran, Iran) Statistical Mechanics of Two Dimensional Critical Curves
Mukund THATTAI (NCBS, Bangalore, India) Randomness in Biology
Bence TOTH (Capital Fund Management, Paris, France) Elements of Quantitative Finance
Students and young researchers from all countries that are members of the United Nations, UNESCO or IAEA may apply for the College. Candidates are required to solicit recommendation letters to be sent by their supervisors in support of their application. Participants should have an adequate working knowledge of English. As a rule, travel and subsistence expenses of the participants should be borne by their home institutions. However, limited funds are available to partially support some participants, who are nationals of, and working in, a developing country, and who are not more than 45 years old. Such support is limited and candidates should make every effort to secure support for their travel, at least partial. Attendance of lectures and completion of the final written tests are mandatory for those who are granted ICTP funding. There is no registration fee.
RULES FOR PARTICIPATION
Participants with financial support from the ICTP and Master PCS students are required to attend at least 80% of the courses. Attendance is monitored regularly. Taking the final exam for each course is mandatory for participants with financial support from the ICTP and Master PCS students.
Grading system:
Each course will be graded on a scale from 0 to 20. Marks higher than 10 correspond to pass. A final grade will be given for the overall Spring College with the following scale:
E- Excellent - 5 exams passed
A- Very Good - 4 exams passed
B- Good - 3 exams passed
C- Sufficient - 2 exams passed
F- Fail - 1 or no exams passed
The overall grade of participants will be published on the Spring College webpage.
Certificates of attendance will be awarded only to participants who have attended at least 80% of the courses, with no exception.