Winter workshop on complex systems: more than a decade of self-organised community building in complexity research

• DOI: 10.3389/fcpxs.2026.1856624

Every winter for the past 11 years, young researchers from across disciplines and around the world have gathered to explore complexity science and to collaborate intensively on self-organised projects. What began in 2015 as a gathering of colleagues who had first met at a previous workshop at the Santa Fe Institute has since consolidated into a self-organised, resilient workshop for early-career scientists in the complexity community. The Winter Workshop on Complex Systems is characterised by its format: participants form interdisciplinary teams and spend a week developing projects of their own design. By maintaining an economical model that serves as a low-cost alternative to expensive traditional conferences, the workshop prioritises inclusion, ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent talented early-career researchers from participating. This approach not only promotes collaboration and the exchange of ideas but also helps to build a strong, supportive community of young researchers. Many of these collaborations have endured well beyond the workshop, leading to successful publications and long-term partnerships and friendships.

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