Applying complexity science to real world problems
Welcome to Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation!
Visit our "About' section for more information about the Institute. For more about complex systems in general, and how WICI core members are applying complex systems in their work, be sure to watch the short videos on our "What are complex systems" page.
If you haven't already, please subscribe to our mailing list to be notified directly about WICI’s events and news.
If you have any general inquiries, please contact us at wici@uwaterloo.ca and we will do our best to assist you or connect you with someone who can.
News
Call for expressions of interest
Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI) is accepting expressions of interest for the WICI Director role for the next three-year term from January 1, 2027- December 31, 2029. Expressions of interest are due November 16, 2026.
WICI is a member-led and member-driven research and networking hub that promotes innovative training and application of complex systems tools and theories to address challenges essential to human well-being, including those at the intersection of society, health, and environment. For the next three years, WICI will continue pursuing and developing emerging opportunities focused on research collaborations, education and training, while continuing to offer a regular series of WICI talks and/or webinars, working groups, workshops, and small grant supports for complex systems research development.
The Director of WICI is a University of Waterloo faculty member who reports to the Vice-President of University Research and is responsible for the management of the Institute, including supervision of the WICI Communications Coordinator.
The Director, working with an Associate Director, guides research, funding, and outreach agendas, ensuring alignment with the current five-year plan while supporting institutional strategic development of future plan(s). The WICI Director chairs meetings of the Steering Committee up to four times per year, leads an annual meeting of the board, and represents WICI on any official University business as required.
Please note: this position, while voluntary, requires approval and support from the faculty member’s Department Chair and/or Dean.
Interested parties can please email Tammy Neal, Communications Coordinator, (tgneal@uwaterloo.ca) with a brief note of interest, by end of day on Monday, November 16, 2026.
Those requesting to join WICI as new members in response to this call are also asked to include a summary of their active interest in complex systems science along with a current CV.
Thank you,
For more information on WICI activities, please review our webpage and in particular, the 'past events' listings.
CityClimateData Summer Webinar Series
WICI is pleased to share the City Climate Data Project for Summer 2026. More information is found on our research page.
From Particles to Markets: Complex Systems Across Disciplines
The Waterloo Institute for Complexity & Innovation (WICI) is pleased to host Complexity Day, a cross‑disciplinary gathering exploring how complex systems thinking connects mathematics, physics, and economics.
May 13, 2026 | Faculty Hall - PSE 7303
This special event will feature two distinguished speakers whose work spans theory, systems modeling, and real‑world implications of complexity:
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At 11:30 am, Dr. Carey King
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At 2:00 pm, Dr. Eric De Giuli
Together, these talks will offer complementary perspectives on how nonlinear dynamics, emergence, and constraints shape systems across scales—from physical matter to economies and infrastructures. Complexity Day is designed to foster dialogue across disciplines and highlight shared tools, questions, and insights within complexity science. The talks are accessible to a wide audience.
To join us, please register on each speaker's event page.
Events
WICI Talk: Terry Stewart
Dr. Terry Stewart is currently an NRC Canada Associate Research Officer and adjunct professor with the Dept of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. He is a former member of the Computational Neuroscience Research group at the University of Waterloo working with Chris Eliasmith on the development of Spaun and the Nengo software