In the heart of Africa, in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, an international scientific event is being prepared.
From July 7 to 10, 2025, the city will host the Workshop "StatPhys in Kigali," a satellite conference of the important StatPhys29. This event represents a crucial moment for the scientific community dedicated to statistical physics and complex systems, a fascinating branch of theoretical physics that explores the behavior of many-body systems through the lens of statistics and probability theory.
The choice of Kigali as the venue for this satellite event might seem unusual, considering that the main conference, StatPhys29, will be held in Florence from July 13 to 18. However, this decision proves to be an extraordinary opportunity to bring together the small but growing community of African statistical physicists, offering them a platform to connect with colleagues from around the world.
Behind this initiative is the collaboration between three professors from the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Padua and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste. The ICTP, founded by the visionary Nobel laureate Abdus Salam in 1964, has always had the mission of promoting scientific research in emerging countries. In 2018, this vision extended to the heart of Africa with the creation of the East African Institute for Fundamental Research (EAIFR) in Kigali.
The Workshop promises to be a crossroads of brilliant minds, with thirty speakers from every corner of the globe, ten of whom are from African institutions. Additionally, fifty promising African researchers, selected from over 150 candidates, will have the opportunity to participate and contribute to this exchange of ideas. The topics under discussion will range from the physics of complex systems to biophysics, from the study of phenomena far from equilibrium to statistical thermodynamics, offering a comprehensive overview of the frontiers of research in this field.
The event will open with an online intervention by the 2021 Nobel Prize winner, Giorgio Parisi, underlining the importance and prestige of this scientific meeting.
But "StatPhys in Kigali" is not just a moment of scientific discussion. It is also the catalyst for a broader collaboration between the University of Padua and the University of Rwanda, sanctioned by a recent Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement paves the way for future collaborations and student exchanges, building a cultural and scientific bridge between Europe and Africa.
In preparation for the Workshop, on July 5 and 6, a School dedicated to Rwandan students will be held, a unique opportunity to introduce them to the most advanced research topics that will be at the center of the conference.
This ambitious project is made possible thanks to the support of numerous international institutions, including the Department of Physics of the University of Padua, the ICTP in Trieste, the NITheCS in Stellenbosch in South Africa, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, the University of Rwanda, and the Donostia International Physics Center in San Sebastian in the Basque Country.
"StatPhys in Kigali" is therefore shaping up to be not only an important scientific event but also a bridge between cultures, an opportunity for growth for young African researchers, and a step forward in international scientific collaboration.
