Jordan Scharnhorst
Program Postdoctoral Fellow starting in January 2026
Starting at SFI January 2026
Jordan thinks about complex systems from the working bases of statistical physics, information theory, and computation. His dissertation investigated the foundations of the 2nd law of thermodynamics and its relation to cosmology, which is framed as a system with strongly coupled microscopic and macroscopic variables.
He plans to bring these perspectives, along with philosophical views of relativism and Bayesianism, to foundational problems in "living systems." Living systems is a broad category that encompasses biology, ecology, and society. Specifically, he intends to investigate the roles of computation, information, and thermodynamics in social evolution. While their roles in biology are well-documented, their functions in large-scale societal systems remain relatively unexplored. Jordan is eager to explore this uncharted territory and also to examine the growth of complexity in the universe, particularly the relationship between entropy, coarse-graining, and complexity.
Jordan has degrees in physics and math from the University of Kansas and a PhD in physics from UC Santa Cruz. His other interests include meditation, psychology, and philosophy.