Complex networks and cognitive systems

Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'ENS
(laboratory associated to CNRS, ENS, and the universities Paris 6 and Paris 7)
Ecole Normale Supérieure
24, rue Lhomond
F - 75231 Paris Cedex 05
tel: 33 - 1 - 44 32 + ext.
fax: 33 - 1 - 44 32 34 33
http://www.lps.ens.fr/~risc/rescomp/english.html

Within the Statistical Physics Laboratory at ENS, these methods are largely applied to domains belonging more directly to the physics of disordered systems and of growth and form.
We make use of both analytical and numerical techniques. In addition, an experimental psychology activity is being developped in parallel to our modeling approach in cognitive sciences.

• Simona Cocco

  Theoretical biophysics (ADN, neurons,...) ; statistical mechanics of optimization problems.

• Rava da Silveira

  Condensed matter physics; theoretical neuroscience.

• Vincent Hakim

  Nonlinear physics, theoretical biology, theoretical neuroscience.

• Jean-Pierre Nadal

  Information processing in biological and social networks; cognitive science; complex systems

• Jacques Ninio

  Experimental psychophysics, theoretical biology

• Jean Vannimenus

  Statistical physics of disordered systems; Complex systems

• Gérard Weisbuch

  Complex adaptive systems (immunology, economy, sustainable development, bioinformatics)

• Students and postdocs

  Srdjan Ostojic
  (postdoc, project supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)).
  (theoretical neuroscience)

  Laetitia Gauvin
  

  Nestor Sepulveda
  

  Marc Santolini
  

  Students in collaboration with other laboratories

  Nabil Bouaouli
  (co-advisor S. Denève, GNT, DEC, ENS)

• Collaborators : see below.

• Former members

  Gerard Toulouse
  (presently at Laboratoire de Physique Theorique de l'ENS)

  Nicolas Brunel
  (currently at: Neurophysique et Physiologie du Systeme Moteur - University Paris 5)

• Former postdocs

  Frédéric Amblard (postdoc 2004, project COSIN)

  Guillemette Duchateau-Nguyen (postdoc 1993-95)

  Filipe Aires (with us during the academic year 1996-97)

  Gérard Boudjema (post-doc 1997-99)

  Antonio Turiel ( postdoc sept. 99 - aug 02)
  (natural images analysis)

• Former PhD students

  Nicolas Brunel (thesis 1993)

  Didier Herschkowitz (thesis 2000)
  (statistical physics of learning)

  Nicolas Fourcaud-Trocmé (PhD partly at Paris 5)
  (computational neuroscience)

  Karen Willbrand (PhD student, thesis 2003)
  (bioinformatics)
  Publications : see here.

  Stefano Battiston (PhD student, thesis 2004)
  (complex systems)

  Laurent Bonnasse-Gahot
  (with CAMS, EHESS)

• Former PhD students: collaborations with other labs

  Olivier Lefèvre (Rome, codirection with G. Parisi - 1992)

  Florence d'Alché-Buc (with Laboratoire d'Electronique Philips, 1993)

  François Ghoulmié (thesis 2005)
  (with CMAP, Ecole Polytechnique)

  Sophie Martin (thesis 2005)
  (with CEMAGREF, Clermond-Ferrand)

  Ingrid Machecler (thesis 2005)
  (with Schlumberger)

  David Philipona
  (with LPE, Paris 5)

Nicolas Brunel

Guillemette Duchateau-Nguyen

Jean-Pierre Nadal

Jacques Ninio

Gerard Toulouse (list of publications not yet available on the web)

Antonio Turiel

Gerard Weisbuch

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• G. Weisbuch
  Introduction a la dynamique des systemes complexes
  InterEditions/CNRS, 1989 (in French)
  English version:
  Complex systems dynamics
  Santa Fe Institute Publications, Lecture Notes Volume II, 1991

• J.-P. Nadal
  Reseaux de neurones : de la physique a la psychologie
  Collection 2ai, Armand Colin, 1993 (in French)

• J. Ninio
  Stereomagie
  Editions du Seuil, 1994 (in French)

• H. Gutfreund and G. Toulouse
  Biology and computation: a physicists' choice
  Advance Series in Neurosciences, Vol. 3, World Scientific, 1994

• J. Ninio
  L'empreinte des sens. Perception, memoire, langage
  Troisieme edition, remise a jour. Odile Jacob, 1996 (in French).

• Bienenstock E., Fogelman F. and Weisbuch G.
  Disordered systems and biological organization,
  Springer, Berlin, 1986

• Perelson A. and Weisbuch G.
  Theoretical and Experimental Insights into Immunology,
  Nato ASI series H66, Springer, 1992

• Livi R., Nadal J.-P. and Packard N.
  Complex Dynamics,
  Les Houches Series, Nova Science Pub., New-York, 1993

• Grassberger P. and Nadal J.-P.
  From Statistical Physics To Statistical Inference and Back,
  Nato ASI series C428, Kluwer Acad. Pub., Dordrecht, 1994.

• G. Ballot and G. Weisbuch Eds.
  Applications of simulation to social sciences,
  HERMES Science, Oxford, 2000
  proceedings of the International Conference on Computer Simulations and the Social Sciences
  Pantheon Assas University Campus, Paris, 18, 19 and 20th of Sept. 2000.

• Bourgine P. and Nadal J.-P., Eds.
  Cognitive Economics - an interdisciplinary approach
  Springer, January 2004
  proceedings (in English) of a (French) school held in Porquerolles, Sept 25 - Oct 5, 2001.

• Neuroscience and Computation
  trimestre at Centre Emile Borel, Institut Henri Poincaré, Jan-April 2002. Organization : N. Brunel (ENS), Y. Frégnac (Institut Alfred Fessard), C. Meunier (UFR biomédicale Les Saints Pères), and J.-P. Nadal (ENS).
  Partial proceedings:
  "Neuroscience and computation", edited by Brunel N, Fregnac Y, Meunier C and Nadal JP, J. Physiol. Paris. 97 Issues 4-6, Pages 387-694 (July - November 2003).

Other conferences and institutes (proceedings not available)

• 24-27 Janvier 1989 E.N.S, Paris : Physics, Mathematics and Cognitive Neurosciences
  organized by J.-P. Changeux, S. Dehaene, J. Mehler, J.-P. Nadal and G. Weisbuch

• 17 avril-31juillet 1990. Torino, Italie : Institute on Complex Dynamical Systems
  Organization : M. Droz, P. Grassberger, R. Livi, J.-P. Nadal and N. Packard.

• Théorie de l'apprentissage et modélisation cognitive
  May 5-6, 1999, Journées Thématiques du Pôle Rhône-Alpes de Sciences Cognitives, Institute for Cognitive Sciences, Lyon.
  Organization : Hélène Paugam-Moisy, Mirta B. Gordon and Jean-Pierre Nadal.

• Automates cellulaires et fonctions couplees sur reseau appliques aux systemes ecologiques
  Centre de Physique des Houches, September 30 - October 5, 1996.
  Organization : A. Franc, P.-H. Gouyon and G. Weisbuch.

• Economie Cognitive, school in French, Berder may 15-19, 2000.

Cooperations between laboratories at ENS
Our group is collaborating with other labs at Ens as member of:

Center for the Study of Complex Systems and Cognition (CENECC)

CERES-ERTI (Environmental Research and Teaching Institute)

At the Physics Department of Ens
Research on neural networks and related subjects at the Laboratoire de Physique Théorique de l'ENS (LPTENS) :

• M. Mézard, G. Parisi & M. Virasoro
  Spin-glasses theory and beyond , World Scientific, 1988
  [the "beyond" includes a part on formal neural networks]
  

International collaborations

• Michael J. Berry, Princeton University.
  Computational Neuroscience.
• Nestor Parga and his group at the Depto de Física Teórica, U.A.M., Madrid
  Information processing in neural networks
• Santa Fe Institute
  Complex systems dynamics
• Sorin Solomon, Givat Ram, Jerusalem
  Dynamics of economics and social systems.

European networks and programs

• E2C2 : Extreme Events, Causes and Consequences (E2-C2 is a Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP) within a Pathfinder Initiative aimed at Tackling Complexity in Science and initiated by the New and Emerging Science and Technology (NEST) Programme of the European Commission, as part of its Sixth Framework Programme (FP-6)).

• COSIN (The Cosin Project is a research project aiming to develop statistical models to describe Networks growths and evolution).

• EXYSTENCE : complEX sYSTEms Network of exCEllence supported by the European Community.
• European project IMAGES (Improving Agri-Environmental Policies : a Simulation Approach to the Role of the Cognitive Properties of Farmers and Institutions, project FAIR3 PL96-2092).
• French-Spanish program Picasso 1994-1996 and 2000-2002.
• European Network Statistical Physics of Collective Behaviour in Disordered Systems and Information Processing (CHRX-CT92-0063)
• European network (the team is associate node of NEuroNet France)

French collaborations

• Bioinformatique :
  Project "génopôle" on The Montagne Sainte-Geneviève (coordination Jean Paul Thiery, Curie Inst.).

• Paul Bourgine and Jean Petitot (CREA, Ecole Polytechnique) ; Bernard Victorri (LATTICE, ENS)
  
  Modelling Cognitive and Social Systems

• Alan Kirman, GREQAM (EHESS, Université d'Aix-Marseille III and CNRS, Marseille)
  Market organization and cognitive aspects in economy
• Kevin O'Regan, Labo de psychologie experimentale, Paris
  Psychophysics
• Project ELICCIR

Networks and programs

• Participation to the direction comitee of the RISC (providing informations on cognitive sciences for Paris area).
• Participation to the direction comitee of the RESCIF (cognitive science network of Paris and its area).

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Cognition

Center for the Study of Complex Systems and Cognition

• RISC (Relais d'Information sur les Sciences de la Cognition)
• Seminars in Paris and its area (list from RISC).
• Specialized libraries:
  Bibliothèque du RISC
• List of journals and where to find them nearby (Paris center).

Complex systems

Environment Unit at Ens

• Physics, economy, and social sciences :

  Modelling Cognitive and Social Systems (working group)

  • Rama Cont's web site
  • Econophysics Forum
  • The Econophysics Genoa Pages.
  • Econophysics, Budapest, 1997 : first international meeting on this topic.
  • Search for articles appeared in physics journals.

Home pages

Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'ENS

Physics Departement of ENS

École Normale Supérieure

Cnrs	Paris 6	Paris 7