Tomás Veloz González is a leading Chilean interdisciplinary scientist who bridges physics, mathematics, cognitive sciences, and complex systems research. He currently serves as Professor in the Mathematics Department at Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (UTEM) in Chile while simultaneously directing the “Systemic Modeling and Applications” (SYMP) research group at the Centre Leo Apostel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.
Veloz earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Physics (2005) and Mathematics (2007) from Universidad de Chile, followed by a Master’s in Computer Science (2010) and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies (2015) from the University of British Columbia, Canada. His academic career uniquely combines research excellence with entrepreneurial ventures, including co-founding Sociedad Eoléctrica, a renewable energy company focused on indigenous communities in the Atacama Desert.
Veloz regularly collaborates with scholars from many countries including Belgium, Chile, The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Morocco, USA, and Italy, among others. His interdisciplinary research specializes in three core areas: reaction network modeling of Complex Adaptive Systems with a focus on emergent phenomena and sustainable processes; quantum structures applied to cognitive and linguistic phenomena; and interdisciplinary epistemology integrating theoretical, practical, and experiential knowledge.
His work has generated more than 50 international publications with more than 1,000 academic citations, reflecting growing impact across multiple disciplines. He has acquired multiple research grants over the past years and founded and directs Fundación DICTA, a Chilean non-profit organization focused on generating integrated knowledge with social impact.
Selected publication
An Analytic Framework for Systems Resilience, Complexity (2022)
Residency period
From July 2025 to December 2025.
Residency at IAS-UM6P:
During his residency at the UM6P Institute for Advanced Studies, the researcher develops a project titled “Understanding Goal-Directedness through Metasystem Transitions.” The project advances a philosophical and scientific framework for analysing how new forms of agency and organization emerge when previously independent systems integrate into higher-level cooperative structures. Drawing on concepts from complex systems science, evolutionary theory, and process philosophy, the research investigates metasystem transitions—major evolutionary shifts in which simpler units combine to form more complex, goal-directed systems.
The project seeks to bridge the gap between matter-centered approaches, which focus on physical structures, and information-centered approaches, which emphasize cognition and problem-solving. By conceptualizing goal-directedness as an emergent property arising from the dynamic interplay between matter and information, the research proposes a unified framework capable of explaining the evolution of biological organisms, artificial intelligence systems, and collective social structures.
A central objective of the residency is to formalize theoretical models of goal-directed systems and to develop their philosophical foundations. This includes advancing work toward a forthcoming book on reaction-network modeling and complex adaptive systems, as well as producing scholarly articles that integrate systems theory, process philosophy, and contemporary research on collective intelligence. The project also connects these theoretical insights to broader questions of global cooperation and regional integration, particularly in relation to how territories in the Global South can evolve into more interconnected and collaborative systems.
By combining formal modelling, philosophical inquiry, and interdisciplinary collaboration, the residency contributes to IAS’s research priorities on transitions, complex systems, and global cooperation. It provides conceptual tools for understanding how complex adaptive systems evolve and how new forms of collective intelligence and coordination may emerge across scientific, technological, and social domains.