CENOLI
Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems

The Department of Social Ecology (15 researchers; co-directors : Jean-Louis Deneubourg of the CENOLI and Claire Detrain of the LBAC) is dedicated to conducting research on collective intelligence in group-living organisms and in artificial systems (transportation systems, robots). The Unit has developed integrated experimental and theoretical tools applied for the study of complexity and self-organisation in biological systems. Current research projects deal with decision-making, information flow and organisation of complex systems (such as insect societies, gregarious animals, human populations). Offshoots in applied research include management of population, collective robotics and transportation systems.

The Department participates in several national and international collaborations (e.g. Santa Fe Institute of Complexity, Université de Strasbourg, Penn State University, …) and hosted each year foreign visitors for periods ranging from a few days to several months. The Center (Dir G. Nicolis) is dedicated to promoting nonlinear science by conducting research and training, by participating in national and international collaborations, and by organising workshops and advanced courses. Its main expertise is in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory, stochastic processes, quantum physics, physical chemistry. The main expertise of the LBAC (Dir JM Pasteels) is in biology of social insects, chemical defence and chemical communications. The LBAC participates to many international collaborations.

Team leaders

Jean-Louis Deneubourg is one of the senior researchers of the CENOLI. He is researcher for the Belgium Science Foundation, member of the Department of Chemistry and of Animal Biology (ULB). He is also member of the working group Social Insects (Santa Fe Institute). He is graduated as a chemist from the ULB and he obtained his PhD from the ULB (1979) with a thesis on mathematical models of animal and human behaviour. He is the author or co-author of around 160 papers and one book, the co-editor of two books. He is (was) member of the editorial board of EEE, Adaptive Behaviour, Animal Cognition and Artificial Life, was involved in the organisation of numerous of conferences: ECAL 93 (sponsored by the EU), Les Treilles meeting, …

His research concerns the collective intelligence in animal societies and their application to artificial and human systems (see the description of the Unit of Social Ecology). Prizes: La Chaire Franqui (2001-2002,Ulg) and two prizes of the Belgian National Academy of (1988 and 1996).

Claire Detrain graduated in 1984 as a biologist and obtained her PhD in 1989 (ULB). After a 2-years postdoctoral fellowship and a 3-years experience as Project Manager in the neuropharmacology research department of UCB company, she got in 1993 a position of Research Associate at the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS). Her research concerns the experimental study of communication system, social organisation, decision-making and collective behaviours in animal societies. She is currently one of the senior scientists working at the Laboratory of Animal and Cellular Biology and is the head of a team including five PhD students. She has been involved in several research projects around the world. She is the author or co-author of 45 papers and is the editor of the book « Information Processing in Social Insects » with J.L. Deneubourg and J. Pasteels. She was involved in the organisation of several conferences and she presented her work in around 40 international congresses. The Belgian National Academy of Sciences awarded her two prizes in 1990 and 2001 for her research on social organisation in insects.

José Halloy is researcher at the CENOLI and the Social Ecology Departement (ULB). He graduated in Physical Chemistry (ULB) and obtained his PhD in 1996 (ULB) with a thesis in mathematical and computational biology. His research domain is related to mathematical modelling in biological complex systems at the molecular level for biological rythms, at the cellular level for dynamical pattern formation and at the animal population level for collective behaviour. Among other topics, he has published papers about the agregation of social amoebas during their development from a molecular and cellular point of vue; the role of molecular noise on biological rhythms robustness; the influence of hair life cycle on hair pattern formation for which he obtained a worldwide pattent for L'Oréal. He has been researcher in the Theoretical Chronobiology Unit and the Physical Chemistry Departement (ULB).
He has been lecturer in Physics for the Biology, Agronomy and Pharmacy Departments of the ULB.

Contributors

• Jésus Millor
• Stéphane Portha
• Grégory Sempo

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