The Center for Complex Interactions (CCI) investigates how nonlinear feedback, fluctuations, and non-equilibrium dynamics give rise to emergent structures, states, and functionalities across scales. CCI is inherently interdisciplinary and connects fundamental science with emerging technological applications, while combining advanced theoretical techniques with state-of-the-art experimental platforms, such as complex ultrafast laser–matter interactions. CCI brings together researchers from physics, engineering, chemistry, biology, and related disciplines to explore how complex interactions can be harnessed for the development of new materials, fabrication processes, and technologies.
CCI aims to serve as a platform for large collaborative research initiatives connecting researchers at Ruhr University Bochum and partner institutions within the University Alliance Ruhr and beyond. Beyond its core scientific focus, CCI also promotes transdisciplinary dialogue on how concepts such as complexity, emergence, feedback, and self-organization manifest across different domains, including technological, biological, cognitive, and societal systems.