Ricard Solé

Ricard Solé is an ICREA Research Professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, where he leads the Complex Systems Lab at the PRBB (Biomedical Research Park). He is also an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and a founding member of the NASA-associated Center for Astrobiology.

• PhD in Physics (Polytechnic University of Catalonia)
• Degrees in Physics and Biology (University of Barcelona)

His research bridges evolutionary biology and synthetic biology, focusing on reconstructing evolutionary innovations like protocells and multicellularity through synthetic approaches. Key themes include:

• Synthetic Major Transitions
• Unstable Evolutionary Dynamics in RNA viruses and cancer
• Terraforming ecosystems
• Complex biological network evolution

His recent work (2024–2025) spans topics from synthetic multicellularity to AI-driven ecological control, with a focus on bifurcations, nonequilibrium dynamics, and resilience mechanisms.

Notable scientific awards include:

• Barcelona City Award for Science (2004)
• James McDonnell Foundation Award in Complex Systems
• La Vanguardia Award for Science (2011)
• ERC Advanced Grant (2012)

He has published over 250 papers (18,000+ citations) and actively collaborates with institutions like UCSF and the European Center for Living Technology.