The Group of Physics in Economics and Social Sciences was established in 1993 as part of the Division of Solid State Technology and was originally called the Laboratory of Nonlinear Dynamics of Complex Systems. Since 2008, the PESS has been operating under its current name, as an independent group, and consists of a full professor, 3 assistant professors, one postdoctoral researcher, an administrative employee, as well as doctoral and graduate students.
Research conducted in the Group includes, among others: sociophysics, econophysics, complex networks, statistical physics, hierarchical systems and statistical data mining. The research results were the basis for e.g. 14 defended doctoral dissertations. PESS is part of the Complex Systems Research Center of Excellence established at the Warsaw University of Technology in 2002 and conducts intensive international cooperation, e.g. with ETH Zurich, University of Amsterdam, Université de Genève, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Jožef Stefan Institute and Nanyang Technological University.
The Group has participated in 11 research projects financed from the 6th, 7th, H2020 and Horizon Europe EU Framework Programs, in four cases acting as a coordinator (CREEN, Cyberemotions, RENOIR, OMINO). The total budget of projects carried out in PESS in 2005-2023 amounted to approximately 5 million EUR.
The head of the laboratory is Prof. Janusz Hołyst, who is one of the pioneers of interdisciplinary research using the methods and models of physics in economics and sociology. In 2004-2014, Professor Hołyst was the chairman of the Section of Physics in Economics and Social Sciences Section of the Polish Physical Society, since 2007 he has been the Chairman of the Board of the National Council of Research Coordinators of the EU (KRAB), and since 2012 he has been an Honorary Professor at the University of Wolverhampton.
