Konstanz School of Collective Behaviour 2025
Collective behaviour is all around us from flocks of birds to schools of fish to human crowds. Collective behaviour happens across multiple spatial and temporal scales making it one of the most ubiquitous, natural phenomena around us. For a long time, organismal collective behaviour has been studied separately across many disciplines from biology to ecology to physics to engineering. The aim of this school is to bring multiple disciplinary approaches to collective behaviour, studying a wide variety of organisms using different methods. The school thus aims to prepare the next generation of scientists that are exposed to a breadth of approaches to study collective behaviour.
About
The School is hosted by the Centre for Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour (CASCB). At the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, we aim to create a global hotspot for the integrated study of collective behaviour across a wide range of species and across scales of organization. We are a Cluster of Excellence within the framework of the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments. As a collaboration between the University of Konstanz and the co-located Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, we harness substantial expertise in the local region to create a synergistic, interdisciplinary environment for the study of collective behaviour that will be unmatched by any institution around the world. Combining transdisciplinary research with emerging technologies, we are creating a crucible in which the ideas and methods of tomorrow will be forged.
The second school will take place between 21 July 2025 – 8 August 2025 in our Centre for Visual Computing of Collectives (VCC) building at the University of Konstanz. Uni Konstanz is an elite University of Excellence and ranked #1 young university in Germany with “Collective Behaviour” as one of five research foci. Konstanz is a vibrant, small city located on the border between Germany and Switzerland, on the shores of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). It is easy to get out into the beautiful German and Swiss countryside and the Alps, as well as to neighbouring Zurich and Munich. Over three weeks, students will delve deeply into the topic of collective behaviour with lectures, hands-on tutorials, and projects, making it a unique and unforgettable experience.
Accommodation will be provided and paid by the organizers. A limited number of travel awards will be provided and a registration fee will be due (500 Euros) once the student is admitted to the Konstanz School of Collective Behaviour. The registration fee will be waived to those coming from underrepresented minorities and those in need of financial support.
Application
The submission of applications for the second Konstanz School of Collective Behaviour is open until April 15, 2025. We will inform you on May 15, 2025 whether your application was successful and you can participate in the Summer School.
The Konstanz School of Collective Behaviour is intended for graduate students, PhD candidates, and early postdocs. We will consider applicants with a variety of scientific background such as biology, ecology, physics, computer science, engineering, … It is important to us that you have basic quantitative skills and moreover provide a motivation letter that shows your interest in collective behaviour.
Through the online application system, you will be asked to provide personal details, academic background, a motivation letter that should include a paragraph about your quantitative skills and why you are passionate about collective behaviour, and a CV.
Accommodation will be provided and paid by the organizers. A limited number of travel awards will be provided and a registration fee will be due (500 Euros) once the student is admitted to the Konstanz School of Collective Behaviour. The registration fee will be waived to those coming from underrepresented minorities and those in need of financial support. Please indicate at the end of the motivation letter why you need financial support and whether you have any potential financial support that you can get or apply to. Without justification from the applicant side, the application for financial support will not be considered.
The CASCB and the University of Konstanz are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. We specially encourage students from underrepresented and underprivileged minorities to apply.
Source and application: https://www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/kscb/
