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Alumnus Peter Koeze has provided funding for no fewer than 2.5 PhD positions for research into complex systems at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��. This is the second time that Koeze has donated to this type of research. The first was in 2015, when he also provided funding for 2.5 research trainee positions, one of whom will defend his dissertation next November. As was the case five years ago, the Centre for Complex Systems Studies helped to match the remaining funds to appoint a total of three PhD candidates.

Koeze is currently retired, but he earned his PhD in Physics at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� in 1968. Over the course of his career, he worked for organisations such as Shell and De Nederlandsche Bank. In 2015, he said that he was motivated to make the donation, because he believes there are many applications of physics knowledge. “I was able to successfully apply my knowledge, insights and techniques learned in my study of physics to an economic problem: investing in the stock market. I expect that there are also other areas in the social sciences where physics knowledge can be successfully utilized, as has already been done in the fields of medicine and biology.”

Social issues

The donation is intended specifically for research at the Centre for Complex Systems Studies. This institute works on finding solutions to society’s challenges by modelling them as a complex system using physics and mathematics. Many social issues are difficult to conceptualize comprehensively, because even a minor change to one of the variables can have a major impact on the issue. This type of research often demands an interdisciplinary approach.

Three research trainee positions

The PhD research assignments facilitated by the donation have since been selected by an evaluation committee, and the positions are now open to applications. The first project aims to answer the question of how plant ecosystems’ robustness in the face of drought and floods is related to the plants’ plasticity and the heterogeneity of the entire population. The second project focuses on achieving a food transition for indigenous communities in the Bering Sea. The third project will strive to construct a general framework for studying the role of a network in the dynamics of randomly dynamic systems.

Peter Koeze has chosen to set up his donation through the Complex Systems Fund, which is part of the Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� Fund.