Luis Bettencourt on the Universal Properties of Self-Organizing Cities

People who live in large cities produce more patents per person than those who live in small towns. They also walk faster down the street, and use less infrastructure per person. Indeed, the relationships between these quantities and city population obey power laws with apparently universal exponents, reminiscent of scaling laws is biological organisms? Luis Bettencourt argues that they can be explained in similar ways, using ideas from complex systems and network theory.

https://preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026/07/27/362-luis-bettencourt-on-the-universal-properties-of-self-organizing-cities/

AI Reference Verification

A pipeline for checking whether references produced by large language models actually exist, by resolving each one against Crossref and OpenAlex and scoring how well the generated metadata agrees with the real record.

https://github.com/yajiwang/AI-Reference-Verification

#Phd in Complexity Science
https://csh.ac.at/education/graduate-program/

We are looking for students who want to use their exceptional knowledge and skills to make a meaningful difference in society – whether supporting the green transition, combating crime and misinformation, improving healthcare outcomes, or building more equitable economies.

#Postdoc Fellow in Social Reinforcement Learning and Human-AI Hybrid Systems
https://careers.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/jobs/8112072-postdoctoral-fellow-in-social-reinforcement-learning-and-human-ai-hybrid-systems

Surface Data vs. Deep Data
Alyosha Efros (UC Berkeley)

https://youtu.be/vk6lgHjjGp8

Jitendra Malik challenges the "bitter lesson" doctrine, arguing that simple scaling is insufficient for true artificial intelligence. By contrasting passive surface data with active, hard-earned deep data, this talk explores the necessity of curiosity-driven exploration and physical embodiment in creating systems that move beyond mere mimicry to genuine understanding of our world.

#PhD position in computational drug discovery
https://kidoktorand.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:957832/

#PostDoc position at the intersection of AI genetics
https://ukaachen.concludis.de/prj/shw/aba25a9fda63263672f8e84b6d7a4c6e_0/56159/Post-Doktorand_-in_m_w_d_fuer_den_Bereich_und_quot_Kuenstliche_Intelligenz_in_der_Genomik_und_quot_.htm

#Postdoc Researcher in Data Stewardship
https://jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-Postdoctoral-Researcher-in-Data-Stewardship/1369609457/

Limits of Inference in Complex Systems: When Stochastic Models Become Indistinguishable
https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/tmkr-9kl2

#Postdoc to join the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University London on a new 3-year Leverhulme Trust-funded project:
🦠 Rethinking Epidemic Models: Integrating Human Behaviour and Psychology
The project will develop a new generation of agent-based epidemic

https://northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/GBR_NULondonCareers/job/London-UK/Research-Assistant_R141807

#Postdoc Researcher in Ecological Networks and Biodiversity Conservation
https://jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-Postdoctoral-Researcher-in-Ecological-Networks-and-Biodiversity-Conservation/1370769357/

#Postdoc researcher for register-based studies on environmental risk factors for autoimmune diseases

https://www.jobindex.dk/jobannonce/r13971760/postdoctoral-researcher-for-register-based-studies-on-environmental-risk-factors-for-autoimmune-diseases

‘Stunning’ Percolation Proof Solves Decades-Old Puzzle About Phase Transitions

https://www.quantamagazine.org/stunning-percolation-proof-solves-decades-old-puzzle-about-phase-transitions-20260831/

#PostDoc Positions in Active Matter and Statistical Physics the Department of Living Matter Physics (LMP) at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS). LMP/MPI-DS is a vibrant and dynamic research environment for the application of ideas from theoretical physics to the understanding of living systems, by using the full range of analytical and computational methods.

https://www.ds.mpg.de/4133369/job_full_offer_26889399

#Postdoc Position in Digital Social Sciences and Humanities
https://uol.de/en/job/postdoktorandinnenstelle-im-bereich-digitale-sozial-und-geisteswissenschaften-digital-social-sciences-and-humanities-1193

The call for IceLab Interdisciplinary #Postdoc Fellows funded by Kempestiftelserna is open until Sept 17 2026! 3 postdocs will join teams working at the interface of theory, computation, & experiment.

https://www.umu.se/en/icelab/career-and-education/icelab-interdisciplinary-postdoctoral-programme/

The θ(p꜀) = 0 conjecture is solved in all dimensions.

There is no Percolation at the Critical Probability in all Dimensions. (Solved by AI via a conjecture of Gady Kozma and Shahaf Nitzan.)

https://gilkalai.wordpress.com/2026/09/03/amazing-there-is-no-percolation-at-the-critical-probability-in-all-dimensions-solved-by-ai-via-a-conjecture-of-gady-kozma-and-shahaf-nitzan/

#Postdoc Fellow in Computational Mathematics

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to improve and analyse time-stepping schemes for simulations of glacial ice dynamics. The motivation is the need for more reliable predictions of how ice sheets and glaciers respond to climate change. The project builds on a stabilization method that allows much larger time-steps than previously possible. Thanks to the stabilization, step length is now limited by accuracy rather than numerical stability, but there is still little rigorous understanding of how accuracy depends on time-step size, which varies substantially over the course of a simulation. The project's aim is twofold: to deepen the theoretical understanding of the stabilized scheme, and to translate this understanding into a practical, adaptive algorithm that automatically selects the largest time-step preserving the desired accuracy. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the research direction and contribute both methodologically and computationally.

https://su.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:963246/type:job/where:4/apply:1

📣 Applications now open: MAXMINDS mentoring program

MAXMINDS 2.0 is a mentoring program for researchers in acute danger of displacement or recently displaced by war or natural disasters who face limited access to research resources and institutional support.

The program offers one-on-one mentoring with a current or former researcher from one of the Max Planck Institutes, tailored to the needs and research interests of the mentees. Mentors can offer support with finding and applying for positions, scholarships, fellowships and research stays, strengthening CVs and proposals, building academic connections and staying scientifically active.

📅 Apply by October 18: https://www.maxminds.mpg.de/3630/apply

Please share this initiative with anyone you know who could benefit. For any further information, contact the MAXMINDS team at maxminds@mpib-berlin.mpg.de

#MaxPlanck #ScholarsAtRisk #Mentoring #AcademicFreedom #ResearchersAtRisk

Sverker Lerheden fellowships for #postdoc studies with the purpose of strengthening research at the Department of Mathematics at Stockholm University

https://www.su.se/english/divisions/department-of-mathematics/news/articles/2026-10-01-sverker-lerheden-fellowships-for-postdoctoral-studies