Spotlight On: Jan Korbel

Welcome to our interview series with a twist — where researchers choose from a pool of questions which ones they want to answer. It’s a chance to get to know them and their work from a more personal angle.

Today in the spotlight: Jan Korbel who is a PostDoc at CSH investigating the foundations of complex systems.

Jan would love to find a reliable way to foresee tipping points in complex systems — in politics, finance, climate, and beyond — and often gets his best ideas away from the desk, for example, while out walking with a stroller.

What are you currently working on, and why is it exciting to you?

I’m currently working on several topics that I’m passionate about. One project looks at how polarization can emerge during election campaigns.

Another focuses on understanding how complex systems—like societies or ecosystems—can suddenly shift or collapse.

I’m also exploring when and how a general dynamical system can perform computations.

These questions are not only intellectually fascinating but also highly relevant to real-world challenges. I feel fortunate to work on such diverse and meaningful problems at the Complexity Science Hub.

What problem would you like to have solved in 10 years?

I would love to understand what makes it possible to predict sudden changes in complex systems—whether in politics, finance, climate, or elsewhere. Right now, it often seems like these tipping points come out of nowhere, and in many cases, we have no reliable way to foresee them. Solving this would be a major step toward making our societies more resilient and better prepared for the unexpected.

Which tools or methods do you use most in your work?

I mainly combine analytical calculations—often just with pen and paper—with numerical simulations and, occasionally, data analysis. The most challenging part is usually connecting theoretical models with real-world data. But this is also where the most valuable insights often come from, as it allows us to better understand how complex systems actually behave.

What brought you to science in the first place, and how did you end up at CSH?

I’ve always been drawn to mathematics and science, so pursuing a Ph.D. in math and physics felt like a natural path. During my doctoral studies, I had the chance to meet Stefan Thurner—now the president of CSH—a few times, and I was really inspired by his work. After a short postdoc in China, I found my way to the Complexity Science Hub, and I’ve been connected to the hub since 2017.

What’s the most unexpected place your work has taken you—intellectually or geographically?

When I was studying mathematical physics, I thought I’d mostly end up working on problems in physics. Even though I was already interested in applying these methods to financial systems—my focus was in econophysics—I never imagined they could be used to study things like criminal networks, legal systems, or political polarization. It’s been a fascinating surprise to see how broadly these tools can be applied, and that’s exactly what we’re doing now at the Hub.

If you could invite any historical figure to a research meeting at CSH, who would it be—and what would you talk about?

One historical figure I’d love to invite to CSH is Kurt Gödel. He was born in Czechia —like me—and studied here in Vienna almost exactly a hundred years ago. But more importantly, his incompleteness theorems are, in my view, among the most profound results in all of science—not just in mathematics and philosophy. I’ve come to realize that his work has deep implications in computer science (like the halting problem), in physics (through the Church-Turing thesis), and potentially in many other fields. I would be fascinated to hear his thoughts on how far these ideas might reach.

What’s one concept in complexity science you think everyone should know—and why?

I think everyone should be familiar with the concept of a phase transition. While it originally comes from physics, it’s deeply connected to complexity science. Most people know the basic example—like water turning into ice—but phase transitions can happen in many systems, from ecosystems to economies. These transitions often involve sudden, dramatic changes triggered by small shifts in conditions. Understanding that not everything changes gradually or predictably—and that systems can suddenly flip into a completely different state—is crucial for making sense of the complex world we live in.

What’s your go-to strategy when you’re stuck on a problem?

What usually helps is stepping away and focusing on something else for a while. Often, the best ideas come after giving the problem a bit of time and space. Interestingly, the harder you try to force a solution, the less progress you sometimes make. It sounds like a cliché, but it has happened to me many times—I’ve had breakthrough ideas during completely unrelated activities, like when I was out walking with my son in a stroller when he was still a baby.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not thinking about complexity?

I mostly enjoy spending time with my family—my wife and our two kids. When I have a bit of free time, I like doing sports, especially bouldering, and I used to go running as well. I also enjoy playing music. I used to play the clarinet and saxophone, and more recently, I’ve started learning to play the banjo.

11.08.2025

Foundations