The study of complex systems published in Physical Reviews Letters supports a growing trend that focuses more on analyzing the collective behavior of a system rather than discovering the underlying mechanisms of interaction.

When we observe a flock of starlings swirling through the sky in perfect coordination - a phenomenon known as murmuration - we witness the elegant interplay of individual actions creating collective behavior. In trying to understand these fascinating patterns, researchers can isolate simple rules based on an individual bird's field of view and the distance separating it from its neighbors, but there's always the question of whether the model actually captures the processes driving interactions between birds (Fig. 1).

This is a general problem in complex systems research, which comes down to distinguishing mechanisms (the rules governing interactions) from behaviors (the observable patterns that emerge).

Representative networks of interacting individuals, or nodes, are a good way to study mechanisms versus behaviors. Until now, researchers have focused on pairwise interactions, but many systems also include higher-order interactions between several nodes. The impact of these higher-order mechanisms on behavior has not been clearly established. Thomas Robiglio, from the Central European University in Vienna, and his colleagues, including Maxime Lucas (CR FNRS - UNamur) addressed this question. They considered networks with higher-order interactions and evaluated the resulting behaviors in terms of statistical dependencies between node values.

The researchers identified higher-order behavioral signatures which, unlike their pairwise counterparts, reveal the presence of higher-order mechanisms. Their findings open up new avenues for distinguishing mechanisms and behaviors when studying complex systems - a distinction that is crucial for the study of inference in network science, neuroscience, the social sciences and beyond.

This study is also the subject of a "Featured in Physics" and "Editor's suggestion" article, and a "commentary" article at the journal's request, available on their website in English in full.

The study, entitled "Topology shapes dynamics of higher-order networks" proposes a theoretical framework specifically designed to understand complex higher-order networks where several agents interact at the same time and thus generalize networks with their interactions in pairs. More precisely, the study shows how topology shapes dynamics, how dynamics learns topology and how topology evolves dynamically.

The aim of this work is to introduce physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists and network scientists to this emerging research field, as well as to define future research challenges where discrete topology and nonlinear dynamics mix.

With the data in their possession, the researchers show that real-life complex systems such as the brain, chemical reactions and neural networks can be easily modeled as higher-order networks, characterized by multi-body connections indicating the fact that several elements of the system interact simultaneously.

This international team is convinced that the visibility of their work through this publication in Nature Physics will open the door to new collaborations with other disciplines that rely on network analysis to study real complex systems.

Kudos to the team for this publication!

After a Master's degree in physics (University of Florence, June 1995), Timoteo Carletti pursued his doctoral studies in Florence (Italy) and Paris (France) at IMCCE, finally defending his doctoral thesis in mathematics in February 2000.

He moved to Belgium in 2005, and was hired at the University of Namur as a lecturer, then as a professor (2008), and finally as a full professor (2011) in the Mathematics Department of the Faculty of Science. In 2010, he was one of the founders of the Namur Center for Complex Systems (now the Namur Institute for Complex Systems - naXys), which he headed until December 2014.

Elio Tuci is a professor at the Faculty of Computer Science and a member of UNamur's Institut naXys (axe Robotics). He has just been awarded Crédit de Recherche (CDR) du F.R.S - FNRS funding following calls whose results were published in December 2024.

His research falls within the interdisciplinary field of bio-inspired robotics and computational intelligence. In his research activity, he draws inspiration from nature to design control mechanisms enabling artificial agents to operate in a complex environment and learn autonomously from their experience.

The aim of his work is twofold. On the one hand, it seeks to design autonomous adaptive systems by developing control mechanisms that underpin complex behavioral, social, cognitive and communication capabilities. On the other, he designs computational and robotic models to generate new and alternative hypotheses concerning the operational principles of cognition and learning in natural organisms: macroscopic (i.e. mathematical) and microscopic (i.e. computational based on computer-simulated agents) models.

The FNRS funding will be used to extend the computing resources available to our team already working on the BABots collaborative project, with a powerful server unit that will enable us to exploit the advantages of parallel computing to carry out advanced research and analysis.

Researchers are implementing the first BABot system in C. elegans. The worm's BABots will be programmed to act as a collective to detect, localize and attack invasive pathogens in a confined agricultural environment.

The BABots project has received funding from the European Innovation Council's Horizon Europe - EIC PathFinder work program under the Project 101098722 agreement.

The Action de Recherche Concertée (ARC) AUTOMATic project

This project aims to develop and test, in a simulation environment, a content-aware urban traffic management system based on a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

More info on the ARC projects website.

The EU-C2W Fellowship - On the study of firefly synchronisation using robots

"Connect with Wallonia - Come 2 Wallonia" (C2W) is a European postdoctoral program (Marie Skłodowska Curie COFUND action) open to postdoctoral researchers in all fields of research. The project, led by Dr Marcelo Avida and Cinzia Tomaselli, involves implementing what is known as synchronization response in a population of e-puck robots. It is inspired by behavior observed in certain species of fireflies as part of courtship.

More info on the C2W website.

The SPW's Win4Doc project is researching Monaster - Failure monitoring system with a preventive and autonomous maintenance strategy based on robotics and artificial intelligence for space applications.

This project led by Antoine Hubermont aims to create a platform for visualizing and predicting information about the condition of terrestrial assets, assessing the risk level of their failure, identifying anomalies and initiating a process to restore their functions. The platform integrates and combines the detection and prediction capabilities of artificial intelligence-based solutions with the technical capabilities of robotic solutions. The project is being carried out in collaboration with Telespazio Belgium.

The SPW BEWARE fellowship is researching ILabBot - Intelligent Laboratory Autonomous Mobile Robot for Pharmaceutical Industry

The aim of this project led by Dr. Muhanad Alkilabi is to equip the HelMO mobile robot with all the necessary control mechanisms and possibly additional sensors to enable the robot to operate autonomously in a pharmaceutical laboratory environment in order to automate production processes currently carried out by human operators. This project is being carried out in collaboration with CISEO.

• BABots | A European biorobotics project
• Synthetic choirs| A choir of robots created at UNamur

Throughout the world, there has been a significant gender gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for years. Although women have made immense progress in terms of their participation in higher education, they remain under-represented in these scientific categories.

To promote the empowerment of women and girls in STEM and raise awareness of the need to include women in science and technology, in 2015 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed February 11 "International Day for Women and Girls in Science".

February 13, 2025 | 5th edition of Women & Girls in science @ UNamur

This annual event aims to promote women's and girls' access to, and full participation in, science and technology. It serves as a reminder of the important role of women in the scientific community and is an excellent opportunity to encourage girls and young women to participate in scientific developments.

At the Laboratoire d'Analyses par Réactions Nucléaires de l'UNamur (LARN) we have a particle gas pedal which, among other things, produces protons and alpha particles. These particles can be used to irradiate cancer cell cultures to destroy their genetic material and prevent them from proliferating. In clinical practice, X-rays are usually used, as they are easier to produce, less bulky and less costly. But in terms of effectiveness, we hope to achieve better results with charged particles, such as the one used here. This is the basis of proton therapy.

What is your involvement in the European university alliance UNIVERSEH focused on the theme of space?

Ionizing radiation is also encountered in space. Astronauts on the International Space Station are exposed to doses far more intense than those received on the Earth's surface. This radiation has effects on living organisms.

In this context, I'm working on the RISE (Rotifer in Space) project, launched in 2013 with Boris Hespeels and Karin Van Doninck, in partnership with the Unité de Recherche en Biologie Environnementale et évolutive (URBE) at UNamur, ULB and SCK-CEN. This project focuses on rotifers, organisms that are extremely resistant to various conditions: cold, temperature variations, desiccation, a very high radiation dosage... Our aim is to understand how they would react in an environment such as the ISS and whether they develop particular strategies to protect their genomic integrity, which could be used to protect humans in space.

Do you think the fact that you're a woman influences your career as a scientist?

First and foremost, whether male or female, scientists are rather special animals: they eat, sleep and think science all the time. But then again, you have to have the opportunity to do so. When you're a woman, in today's society, that can be more complicated, not least because of the many clichés that persist.

I remember one Whitsun Monday when I was emptying my washing machine when I got a message from a colleague "I'm reading a great review!"And there I thought "Great, me, I'm cleaning underpants"We don't all live the same reality. There are those who have a family, a house, with all the mental load that goes with it. And then there are those who don't have children (yet) and have less to think about outside their job. Sometimes I tell myself that I have to continually catch up with people who are much more competitive, but who also have much more time to devote to research.

What do you think could facilitate and encourage the careers of women scientists?

I teach all first-year science students and I notice that there are a lot of girls in the life science streams like biology or veterinary medicine, but far fewer in mathematics or physics. It's quite unbalanced. So how can we encourage more women to take up these disciplines? I think it starts very early.

Interest in science is built up from childhood, through education and the image of the world passed on to them by their families. It's not at the age of 18 that you have to ask the question. We need to show them the horizon of possibilities, and make sure they understand that science is neither "for girls" nor "for boys".

The right time to awaken this curiosity is when children start to reason, to ask themselves questions: why does the sun always rise in the same place? What happens to an ice cube when it melts? Why does a cold glass fog up when you blow on it? That's when you can accompany them, explain things to them and encourage them to look for answers. We need to give children a taste for explaining and questioning the world.

What message would you like to pass on to a woman who might be hesitant to go into science?

I think the message is valid for all students, whether boys or girls: why do you want to do this or that study? What's your motivation? If it's because your parents advised you to, that's not a good reason. If it's because you're strong in a subject so you're going to study it, that might not be a good justification either. What counts above all is desire. The desire to understand, to discover, to question the world around us.

Do you think the fact that you're a woman influences your career as a scientist?

I think being a woman can influence a scientific career because of the stereotypes that still exist, but it should reinforce our desire to change mentalities and inspire other women.

What do you think could facilitate and encourage the careers of women scientists?

We should give greater visibility to the contributions of women in the scientific world, encourage their input and value their often underestimated historical role. I also think it's important to combat gender bias and create a more inclusive working environment.

Do you think that the fact that you're a woman influences your career as a scientist?

I think that all facets of my identity influence and will influence my career: my gender, my age, my nationality, etc., whether in the way I approach my career or the way I'm viewed by my colleagues.

What do you think could facilitate and encourage the careers of women scientists?

All career projects should be encouraged and supported, regardless of gender. Everyone cites Marie Curie as an example, but that's just the tree that hides the forest. Let's talk about Verra Rubin, Margaret Burbidge, Henrietta Leavitt and all their colleagues. Women in science are not a novelty or a rarity, but they are forgotten and erased names.

What message would you like to pass on to a woman who might be hesitating to go into astronomy?

Why are you hesitating? This career is gripping, exciting, testing, overwhelming and rewarding. You have to be motivated and ready to give it your all. Your gender doesn't affect your skills, so if you're tempted, GO FOR IT!

An inspiring message to share?

I like to share Fred Hoyle's quote: "You must understand that, cosmically speaking, the room you are now sitting in is made of the wrong stuff. You, yourself, are odd. You are a rarity, a cosmic collector's piece." To study astronomy, or cosmology, is to confront immensity and sometimes wonder where we fit in. I find it quite comforting to remember that our uniqueness makes us a little treasure.

We are also led to practice experimentation and discover scientific research.

In 2024 I joined, with a small group of students, the UNIVERSEH alliance as a member of the Local Student Club of Namur which is also registered as a new kot-à-projet on the university campus. We were able to take part in the organization of the General Meeting last November as part of an activity aimed at European students. I also took part in the Spring School organized in 2024 by UNamur on the site of the Euro Space Center and am preparing for a trip to Sweden in early March as part of the Arctic Winter School.

Do you think the fact that you're a woman influences your career as a scientist?

I've always been encouraged to do what I liked, so societal ideas categorizing fields as "masculine" or "feminine" didn't really influence my choice of study. Lack of support and self-confidence can be a hindrance when entering a world that doesn't seem to be our own. Admittedly, you may have to battle with some people, but you can make your mark, like anyone else, as a woman.

What do you think would facilitate and encourage a woman to study science and, ultimately, a career in science?

You only need to look at the history of science to understand that every human being is capable of great things if they are allowed to. Nowadays, female figures who have left their mark on science are increasingly recognized, which is a good thing and gives the future generation of scientists a diversity to identify with. They, like them, have paved the way for us to have the freedom to choose what we want to do with our lives.

I find it unfortunate that it still takes days like these to emphasize the fact that we are all equal. I just think that everyone should be pushed to pursue what they're drawn to, and valued according to their abilities.

What message would you like to give to a woman who might be hesitant about taking up astronomy studies?

When you find your path, you have to follow it. I'd tell her not to hesitate, and that if it turns out in the end that the path doesn't suit her, this is in no way a sign of inferiority or inability.

An inspiring message to share?

The message I'd like to share is a short phrase that I've been trying to keep in mind ever since it was passed on to me: Don't try, just do it.

"Research has always fascinated me. I studied biology with the aim of studying plant biotechnology, but ended up in a human cell biology laboratory. I've never regretted that choice. Over 40 years later, I'm still fascinated by the complexity of cellular behavior, and in particular by the plasticity of cancer cells. Teaching scientific methodology to students and mentoring young researchers is something I particularly enjoy. "

UNamur is a member of the European alliance European Space University for Earth and Humanity (UNIVERSEH), which focuses on the theme of space. This is a real recognition of UNamur's expertise in the field of space, and a gateway to new international collaborations in both teaching and research, around a field that is driving employment and socio-economic development.