Maxime Lucas
Welcome! I am a physicist working at the intersection of dynamical systems and networks, with a strong interest in applications to the life sciences. My research combines theory, data analysis, and experiments to explore the complexity of systems such as fungal networks, brains, and animal communication.
I am an Assistant Professor (“chargé de cours”) at the University of Namur and the Namur Institute for Complex Systems. I am also part of Project CETI, a large interdisciplinary collaboration trying to decipher the communication of sperm whales.
Before that, I was an FNRS postdoctoral fellow in Namur and at the Laboratory of Mycology (UCLouvain), and a postdoc at CENTAI and the ISI Foundation in Turin, and at CENTURI in Marseille. I obtained my PhD in Physics from Lancaster University and the University of Florence, as part of the COSMOS Marie Curie network.
Prospective students and postdocs
Reach out if you’re interested in joining the group! No funded positions right now, but I’m happy to apply together for PhD or postdoc fellowships (e.g. FNRS, FRIA, Marie Curie).
Research interests
Complex systems · Dynamical systems · Complex networks · Synchronization · Life Sciences
news
| Sep 26 | New job! I’m now an Assistant Professor at the University of Namur and the Namur Institute for Complex Systems. |
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| Jun 26 | New preprint “Symmetry-based selection rules for higher-order interactions in coupled oscillators”, available at arXiv:2606.04904! |
| Mar 26 | “Cooperation by non-kin during birth underpins sperm whale social complexity” now out in Science! |
| Mar 26 | “Description of a collaborative sperm whale birth and shifts in coda vocal styles during key events.” now out in Scientific Reports! |
| Feb 26 | “Collective dynamics on higher-order networks” now out in Nature Reviews Physics! |
selected publications
- Cooperation by non-kin during birth underpins sperm whale social complexity, Science, 2026 —| PAPER |