Exploring Complexity and Information in Science: Entropy 2026
MDPI hosted the Entropy 2026: Exploring Complexity and Information in Science conference from 1 to 3 July. The event took place in Barcelona, Spain, bringing together researchers from the fields of physics and information theory in order to foster collaboration and cross-disciplinary innovation.
This article covers everything you need to know about this conference.
What is the purpose of Entropy 2026?
Entropy is one of the most frequently used terms in science, owing to its foundational relevance to physics and information theory. The concept is rooted in thermodynamics and has become central to the understanding of energy transfer, and statistical and quantum mechanics.
The aim of the Entropy 2026 conference was to unite researchers across disciplines, particularly from physics and information theory, to share information and work together.
Schedule overview
The conference hosted 8 sessions that featured the following talks:
- Complex Systems and Network Science
- Information Theory, Data Science and AI
- Quantum Information and Quantum Computing
- Thermodynamics and Energy Systems
- Non-Equilibrium Systems and Entropy Production
- Statistical Physics and Stochastic Processes
- Soft and Living Matter
- Applications of Entropy in Science and Engineering
Speaker profiles
The sessions were delivered by 17 keynote speakers from varying backgrounds:
- Dr. Ariel Caticha – Department of Physics, University at Albany
- Dr. Bernardo Spagnolo – “Emilio Segrè” Department of Physics and Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Theoretical Physics Group, University of Palermo
- Dr. David Reguera – Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona
- Dr. Eli Barkai – Department of Physics, Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University
- Dr. Hong Qian – Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Westlake University
- Dr. José Fernando F. Mendes – Department of Physics & I3N, University of Aveiro
- Dr. Jose M.G. Vilar – Biofisika Institute (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country
- Dr. Juan F. Pedraza – Institute of Theoretical Physics, UAM/CSIC
- Dr. Karl Heinz Hoffmann – Institute of Physics, Technical University Chemnitz
- Dr. Kevin H. Knuth – Department of Physics, University at Albany
- Dr. Marta Sales Pardo – Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rovira i Virgili
- Dr. M. Ángeles Serrano – ICREA and University of Barcelona
- Dr. Olivier Rioul – LTCI, Télécom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
- Péter Ván – Department of Theoretical Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics
- Dr. Ralf Metzler – Institute for Physics & Astronomy, University of Potsdam
- Dr. Stefano Mancini – School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino, Italy; INFN Sezione di Perugia, Italy
- Dr. Syed Ejaz Ahmed – Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Brock University
A keynote speaker at the Entropy 2026 conference presenting in front of a branded banner.
Participating in Entropy 2026
The conference was a brilliant success, with 116 attendees from 53 countries across 6 continents. Out of the 173 abstract submissions received, Entropy 2026 accepted 105.
Attendees viewing the poster presentations at Entropy 2026.
MDPI is pleased to have presented the following awards as part of the conference:
- Best Oral Presentation Award
- Özge Özkılınc – Data-Driven Screening of Choline Chloride–Monoterpenoid and –Fatty Acid Deep Eutectic Solvents for PFAS Extraction
- Miriam Martinez – Quantifying Insect Dynamics in Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Spaces
- Ronen Zangi – Chemistry with Small Number of Molecules
- Valeria Rossi – Mutual Information Based on Kolmogorov Complexity for Randomness Evaluation
- Amilcare Porporato – Environmental Thermodynamics: Bridging Science and Technology in a Changing Environment
- Jan Korbel – Homophily-Based Social Group Formation in a Spin Glass Self-Assembly Framework
- Best Poster Award
- Angel Cuadras – Entropy Description of Projectile Motion in Dissipative Media
- Andrés Vallejo – Alternative Analysis of Single-Qubit Quantum Heat Engines
- Mateusz Wiśniewski – Fast Directed Transport via Energy Recuperation in Non-Markovian Media
- Anna Monclús I Rojo – Correlations in Active Nematic Defects
- Dana Polatin – ‘I Am Not My Language’: Human Cognition, Misattributed Intelligence, and the Extractive Risk of Large Language Models
- Gordon Morison – Generalized Permutation Entropy Measures on Graph Signals
To find out more details about this conference you can visit the homepage on Sciforum. Keep an eye on our conferences blog page to stay up to date with upcoming MDPI conferences.
A large group of attendees at the Entropy 2026 conference stand in front of a branded projector screen.
