Study Complex Behaviors Across Systems

Program Overview

The Santa Fe Institute’s Complex Systems Summer School (CSSS) offers an intensive introduction to complex behavior in mathematical, physical, living, and social systems. Spanning four weeks, CSSS brings together graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professionals to transcend disciplinary boundaries, take intellectual risks, and ask big questions about complex systems. The residential program comprises a series of lectures and workshops devoted to theory and tools, applications-focused seminars, and discussions with faculty and fellow participants. CSSS participants put what they learn from these didactic sessions into practice through group research projects, conducted throughout the program and often extending into manuscripts and longer-term collaborations. CSSS provides an unparalleled opportunity for early-career researchers to expand their professional networks, produce a novel research product, and gain valuable experience working in transdisciplinary teams.

photo credit: Doug Merriam

Dates & Times

Tuesday, June 9 to Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Summer School is a full-time (all-day) commitment. All participants are expected to attend the entire program in person and be in-residence full time.

Registration Fee

CSSS is made possible by registration fees and the generous support of the McKinnon Family Foundation, Darla Moore Foundation, and Eugene & Jean Stark.

Registration fee for participants from academic institutions: $4,500.

Registration fee for participants from the corporate/private sector: $6,000.

The registration fee covers course-related costs, accommodations, and meals. Students are responsible for the cost of travel.

Participants generally secure funding to attend from multiple sources, including their home institution and third-party funding sources. Once accepted, participants may apply for a partial scholarship in the form of a registration fee reduction from SFI based on need. Every applicant for financial assistance will need to demonstrate that they made substantial efforts to obtain funding elsewhere.

Program Goals

Develop a deeper understanding of the theory and methods used to describe and predict the behavior of complex systems.
Explore the latest applications of complex systems science to diverse research questions.
Collaborate on a transdisciplinary research project in complex systems science. Explore past CSSS projects on our Projects pages.
Connect with future colleagues and collaborators and the SFI research community.

Audience

photo credit: Scott Wagner

Applications are accepted from graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and professionals in any discipline, including fields not traditionally represented in the sciences (e.g., the humanities or arts) who feel their work connects to a rigorous study of complex systems. If you are a journalist interested in the Complex Systems Summer School, please check out SFI's CSSS Journalism Fellowship.

Applicants from any country are welcome. Applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents may need to apply for a visa waiver or B-1 visa. Please see more information under the Applying tab.

The CSSS team is committed to offering programs in which all participants feel valued and supported in their learning journey. We believe that open discourse and the respectful sharing of broad perspectives is essential to meaningful scientific progress, and we welcome you to join us.

For further information, please review all of the tabs associated with this program; scroll to the top or go directly to Experience, Logistics, and Applying.