Conferences

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Dynamic Symmetry Across Scales: Stochasticity, Phase Structure and Viable Regimes

Balliol College, Oxford - 22 March 2027

Following the Royal Society seminar Edge of Chaos: Exploring Dynamic Symmetry Theory and the Science of Complexity in May 2026 (see below), OXQ and The Schweitzer Institute will convene a meeting at Balliol College, Oxford, under the title Dynamic Symmetry Across Scales: Stochasticity, Phase Structure and Viable Regimes.

The seminar begins from a simple but demanding question. Do complex systems, from physical and biological systems to minds, markets and institutions, often work best within constrained, shifting regimes between excessive rigidity and unstructured variability? If so, can those regimes be described, measured and, where appropriate, protected or restored?

The meeting is designed as a critical investigation, not an endorsement of a pre-set theory. It will examine whether the language of dynamic symmetry, constrained stochasticity, multilevel causation and "viable bands" between order and variation has real explanatory and practical value.

The conference will take place on Monday 22 March 2027 and will focus on physical, biological and neurodynamic systems. It will return to questions raised at the Royal Society, with more time for technical discussion. Topics include the role of noise and fluctuation in adaptive systems, the relation between stability, criticality and change, phase structure and transitions, and whether simple, interpretable measures of order, variation and resilience can be found.

Particular attention will go to concrete cases in which systems appear to occupy distinct regimes, such as highly constrained, dynamically balanced and highly disordered states, and to whether transitions between them can be mapped in a scientifically meaningful way. The aim is to show where dynamic-symmetry language is useful, where it overlaps with established concepts such as homeostasis, resilience, feedback control and criticality, and where its claims need to be qualified or rejected.

Speakers include, from the University of Oxford:

• Prof Daniela Bortoletto OBE (Head of Particle Physics)
• Prof Tim Palmer FRS (Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics)
• Prof Denis Noble CBE FRS (Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology)
• Prof Gianluca Gregori (Professor of Physics)
• Prof Alexander Lvovsky (Professor of Physics)

And from The Schweitzer Institute:

• Benedict Rattigan FRSA (Director)
• Gisella Marinuzzi (Associate Director)

Edge of Chaos: Exploring Dynamic Symmetry Theory and the Science of Complexity

The Royal Society, London – 15 May 2026

Edge of Chaos was the first seminar in this series, bringing together leading physicists, biologists, ecologists, philosophers and policy thinkers to explore whether there are common structural principles linking living systems, physical processes and human institutions. The focus was on dynamic symmetry theory, the Dynamic Symmetry Index (DSI) and related work on self‑organised criticality, with direct implications for climate risk, health and governance.

Speakers included:

• Prof Daniela Bortoletto OBE (Head of Particle Physics, University of Oxford)
• Prof Tim Palmer FRS (Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics, University of Oxford)
• Prof Denis Noble CBE FRS (Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Oxford)
• Prof Tim Lenton OBE (Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science; Founding Director, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter)
• Prof Gianluca Gregori (Professor of Physics, University of Oxford)
• Prof Predrag Cicovacki (Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, College of the Holy Cross)
• Prof Alexander Lvovsky (Professor of Physics, University of Oxford)
• Gisella Marinuzzi (Associate Director, The Schweitzer Institute)
• Dr Igor V. Ovchinnikov (UCLA)
• Benedict Rattigan FRSA (Director, The Schweitzer Institute)

Recordings the Edge of Chaos talks can be accessed here: https://schweitzer.institute/papers