Abstract: The concept of complexity is introduced in natural, artificial and social sciences. Then we address the foundations of statistical mechanics and how entropies beyond the Boltzmann-Gibbs-Shannon one can satisfactorily address a wide variety of complex systems. Finally, we illustrate the usefulness of generalising the Boltzmann-Gibbs theory in physics and elsewhere.

Speaker Biography: Constantino Tsallis works at the Brazilian Center of Research in Physics, in Rio de Janeiro, and at the National Institute of Science and Technology for Complex Systems. He also is External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, New Mexico, and at the Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Austria. He studied in Argentina, and became Docteur d’Etat es Sciences Physiques at the University of Paris- Orsay in 1974. He currently focuses on the foundations of statistical mechanics and its applications in various areas in physics, astrophysics, economics, and elsewhere. In 1988, he introduced nonadditive entropies as a basis for generalising the Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy and associated statistical mechanics. In relation to this proposal, he has received many international prizes and awards (Guggenheim Foundation  - New York, Mexico Prize of Science and Technology, among others) , and has been declared Doctor Honoris Causa at various Universities in Brazil, Argentina and Greece. He received the highest distinction (Aristion) of the Academy of Athens, originally founded by Plato. He co-authored various papers and book with the Nobel laureate Murray Gell-Mann (recently deceased). He also supervised nearly 40 Thesis in Physics, and delivered over 1,000 invited lectures around the world.

Webpage: http://tsallis.cat.cbpf.br/biblio.htm