In this InterDialogue, Spanish physicist and complex systems theorist Jesús Gómez-Gardeñes speaks with The InterPlex founder Daniel Henryk Rasolt about a wide range of topics, beginning with a discussion of LANET, the Latin American Conference on Complex Networks, which he helped found.

Jesús Gómez-Gardeñes is a Full Professor in the Department of Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Zaragoza in Spain, where he leads the Group of Theoretical & Applied Modeling (GOTHAM lab) at the BIFI Institute. Professor Gómez-Gardeñes has led a varied and impactful career. His research has explored topics such as collective behavior, nonlinear dynamics, evolutionary dynamics, epidemics, and theoretical biology, all from the standpoint of complex systems and network theory. He is currently organizing the 2026 CompleNet conference, to be held in Zaragoza from May 4 to 8.

This dialogue ranges from Gómez-Gardeñes’s experiences as a thought leader in complex network sciences in Europe and Latin America to his work on epidemics, urban mobility, and metapopulation networks. He also touches on confronting anti-science rhetoric and the need for scientists to address misinformation by establishing effective links with the media and policymakers. The discussion concludes with an assessment of the complexity inherent to Colombia, a nation that Gómez-Gardeñes has spent much time working in, and a view toward his current and future projects.

Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction

4:32 – How LANET Was Founded

8:23 – International Academic Exchange between Colombia and Europe

11:28 – The Role of Complex Networks in Interdisciplinary Collaborations

14:19 – Networking and Collaborating Through Conferences

17:17 – Building Local Capacity and Fostering International Collaborations

23:21 – Expanding Reach and Accessibility, Hybrid Courses

26:37 – Gómez-Gardeñes’s Research on Epidemics

32:33 – Metapopulation Networks

36:08 – Pivoting From Urban Mobility Research to Epidemics

41:10 – Mosquitoes as Vectors

47:03 – Socio-Behavioral Factors and Epidemic Forecasting

49:39 – Data Sourcing

53:38 – Anti-Science Rhetoric, Misinformation, and Future Epidemics

56:28 – Science Communication, Media, and Public Policy

1:00:30 – Colombia as a Complex System

1:05:18 – Next Steps and Future Projects