Thanks to rapid progress in computer technology, computation has emerged as the third pillar of scientific discovery next to theoretical science and experimental investigations. Researchers in computational science and engineering develop detailed computational models and simulations, using sophisticated algorithms and powerful computing hardware. It allows them to tackle hitherto intractable, complex problems in numerous fields ranging from physics and biology to sociology and finance.

Researchers at CWI contribute to these efforts in two ways. On the one hand, they design new algorithms that extend computational capabilities, e.g. to distributed networks or quantum computers. On the other hand, they are applying computational methods to investigate urgent questions in various application domains, including systems biology and computational neuroscience, multi-agent systems, weather and climate forecasting, multiscale modelling of non-linear physical phenomena, and quantification of financial and systemic risks.