Stefan Thurner

Stefan Thurner @ Franziska Liehl, President of the Complexity Science Hub

Stefan Thurner is President of the Complexity Science Hub.

Stefan earned a PhD in theoretical physics from the TU Wien and a PhD in economics from the University of Vienna. He held PostDoc positions at the Humboldt University of Berlin and Boston University. His habilitation is in theoretical physics.

Stefan started his career with contributions to theoretical particle physics and gradually shifted his focus to complex systems understanding. He has published more than 240 scientific articles ranging from fundamental physics (topological excitations in quantum field theories, statistics and entropy of complex systems), applied mathematics (wavelet statistics, fractal harmonic analysis, anomalous diffusion), network theory, evolutionary systems, life sciences (network medicine, gene regulatory networks, bioinformatics, heartbeat dynamics, cell motility), economics and finance (price formation, regulation, systemic risk) and lately in social sciences (opinion formation, bureaucratic inefficiency, collective human behavior, efficiency of healthcare systems). He holds two patents.

Stefan’s work has been covered extensively by Austrian and international media such as the New York Times, BBC World, Nature, New Scientist, Physics World, and is featured in more than 500 newspaper, radio and television reports. In 2018, he was elected Austrian Scientist of the Year 2017. In 2021, Stefan received the Paul Watzlawick Ring of Honor (together with Peter Klimek).

Stefan is also full professor for Science of Complex Systems at the Medical University of Vienna, where he chairs the Section for Science of Complex Systems. He is an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute.