Sergi Valverde, PhD

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Profile · Career · Selected research projects · Publications

Profile

Sergi Valverde is a CSIC Tenured Scientist at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC–UPF), Barcelona, where he leads the Evolution of Networks Laboratory. His research combines network theory, statistical physics, mathematical and computational modelling, and empirical analysis to investigate the organization and evolutionary dynamics of complex systems. Across biological, cultural and technological systems, he studies how interactions, structural constraints and processes operating across scales shape persistence, innovation and evolutionary transitions.

s.valverde@csic.es · Institutional profile · Evolution of Networks Laboratory · ORCID: 0000-0002-2150-9610 · Google Scholar

Current position and affiliations

  • Tenured Scientist (Científico Titular), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC–UPF), Barcelona, Spain.Web: IBE website

  • External Fellow, European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Venice, Italy. Web: ECLT website

  • External Fellow, Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity (DySoC), College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Knoxville, USA. Web: DySoC directory

Career

  • 2018–present — Científico Titular (CSIC), Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC–UPF), Barcelona, Spain; leader of the Evolution of Networks Laboratory

  • 2008–2018 — Visiting Professor, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain

  • 2007–2009 — Postdoctoral Researcher, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

  • 2006–2007 — Postdoctoral Researcher, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain

  • 2004–2006 — PhD Student, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain

  • 1999–2004 — Software Engineer, Ubisoft Entertainment

  • 1996–1999 — R&D Engineer, El Periódico de Catalunya

Education

  • 1999 — Informatics Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain

  • 2006 — PhD in Applied Physics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain

Selected research projects

  • 2013–2016 — Detección de tecnologías emergentes en redes de innovación. Principal Investigator; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.

  • 2016–2019 — Predicción de innovación tecnológica en redes de culturómica. Principal Investigator; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.

  • 2021–2024 — Estructura y evolución del conectoma tecnológico. Principal Investigator; Agencia Estatal de Investigación.

  • 2025–2028 — Phylogenetic Scaling and Evolutionary Transitions in Mammalian Intelligence. Principal Investigator; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades / Agencia Estatal de Investigación.

  • 2022–2025 (CSIC node) — MPA4Sustainability – Enhancing the role of MPAs in restoring biodiversity while maintaining access to ecosystem services. CSIC node lead / principal researcher; BiodivRestore Transnational Cofund.

Teaching and supervision

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering (UPF) (2011–2019)

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Human Biology (UPF) (2008–2016)

  • Computational Biomedical Engineering Master (UPF) (2014–2019)

  • Master’s Degree in Bioinformatics (University of Valencia) (2013–2026) — Invited Professor — Introduction to Complex Networks: Patterns & Models

3 completed PhD supervisions, 2 master’s/bachelor’s thesis supervisions and 2 postdoctoral supervision appointments.

Scientific and editorial service

  • Editor, Transactions of the Complex Systems Society (TOCSS). Sep 2026–present. Web: Editorial team.

  • Guest Editor, Entropy special issue “Information Theory in Complex Networks”. 2020. Web: Special issue.

  • External evaluator, European Project FOC (Forecasting Financial Crises). European Union (EU). 2011–2012.

  • External evaluator, European Commission, 2004–2007.

  • Council member, Complex Systems Society (CSS). CCS 2015–CCS 2018.

  • Board member, Complexitat.cat (Associació Catalana per a l’Estudi dels Sistemes Complexos). 2020–2024.

Organization or co-organization of 3 international workshops/satellite meetings.

Publications

2001

  1. Solé, R. V., & Valverde, S. (2001). Information transfer and phase transitions in a model of Internet traffic. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 289(3–4), 595–605.

2002

  1. Solé, R. V., Ferrer-i-Cancho, R., Montoya, J. M., & Valverde, S. (2002). Selection, tinkering, and emergence in complex networks. Complexity, 8(1), 20–33.

  2. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2002). Self-organized critical traffic in parallel computer networks. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 312(3–4), 636–648.

  3. Valverde, S., et al. (2002). Scale-free networks from optimal design. Europhysics Letters, 60(4), 512.

2003

  1. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2003). Hierarchical small worlds in software architecture. arXiv, cond-mat/0307278.

2004

  1. Buhl, C., et al. (2004). Efficiency and robustness in ant networks of galleries. The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, 42(1), 123–129.

  2. Solé, R. V., & Valverde, S. (2004). Information theory of complex networks: On evolution and architectural constraints. In Complex Networks (pp. 189–207). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

  3. Valverde, S. (2004). A new science for a connected world. Current Anthropology, 45(4), 565–566.

  4. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2004). Internet’s critical path horizon. The European Physical Journal B, 38(2), 245–252.

2005

  1. Valverde, S. (2005). Evolution and dynamics in information networks (PhD thesis). Department of Applied Physics, Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain.

  2. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2005). Logarithmic growth dynamics in software networks. Europhysics Letters, 72(5), 858.

  3. Valverde, S. (2005). Network motifs in computational graphs: A case study in software architecture. Physical Review E, 72(2), 026107.

2006

  1. Buhl, C., et al. (2006). Topological patterns in street networks of self-organized urban settlements. The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, 49(4), 513–522.

  2. Solé, R. V., & Valverde, S. (2006). Are network motifs the spandrels of cellular complexity? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 21(8), 419–422.

  3. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2006). On the nature of design. In Complex Engineered Systems: Science Meets Technology (pp. 72–100). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

  4. Valverde, S., et al. (2006). Self-organization patterns in wasp and open-source communities. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 21(2), 36–40.

2007

  1. Corominas-Murtra, B., et al. (2007). K-scaffold subgraphs of complex networks. Europhysics Letters, 77(1), 18004.

  2. Corominas-Murtra, B., et al. (2007). Emergence of scale-free syntax networks. arXiv, 0709.4344.

  3. Perna, A., et al. (2007). The topological fortress of termites. In Workshop on Bio-inspired Design of Networks (pp. 165–173). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

  4. Rosas-Casals, M., et al. (2007). Topological vulnerability of the European power grid under errors and attacks. International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 17(7), 2465–2475.

  5. Solé, R. V., et al. (2007). Modularity in biological networks. In Biological Networks (pp. 21–40).

  6. Valverde, S. (2007). Crossover from endogenous to exogenous activity in open-source software development. Europhysics Letters, 77(2), 20002.

  7. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2007). Self-organization versus hierarchy in open-source social networks. Physical Review E, 76(4), 046118.

  8. Valverde, S., et al. (2007). Topology and evolution of technology innovation networks. Physical Review E, 76(5), 056118.

2008

  1. Challet, D., & Valverde, S. (2008). Fat tails, long memory, maturity and ageing in open-source software projects. arXiv, 0802.3170.

  2. Mestres, J., et al. (2008). Data completeness—the Achilles heel of drug-target networks. Nature Biotechnology, 26(9), 983–984.

  3. Perna, A., et al. (2008). The structure of gallery networks in the nests of termite Cubitermes spp. revealed by X-ray tomography. Naturwissenschaften, 95(9), 877–884.

  4. Perna, A., et al. (2008). Topological efficiency in three-dimensional gallery networks of termite nests. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 387(24), 6235–6244.

  5. Solé, R. V., & Valverde, S. (2008). Spontaneous emergence of modularity in cellular networks. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 5(18), 129–133.

  6. Solé, R. V., Macía, J., Fellermann, H., Munteanu, A., Sardanyés, J., & Valverde, S. (2008). Models of protocell replication. In S. Rasmussen, M. A. Bedau, L. Chen, D. Deamer, D. C. Krakauer, N. H. Packard, & P. F. Stadler (Eds.), Protocells: Bridging Nonliving and Living Matter (pp. 213–231). MIT Press. DOI: 10.7551/mitpress/9780262182683.003.0010.

  7. Solé, R. V., et al. (2008). Robustness of the European power grids under intentional attack. Physical Review E, 77(2), 026102.

2009

  1. Corominas-Murtra, B., et al. (2009). Emergence of scale-free syntax networks. In Evolution of Communication and Language in Embodied Agents (pp. 83–101). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

  2. Corominas-Murtra, B., et al. (2009). The ontogeny of scale-free syntax networks: Phase transitions in early language acquisition. Advances in Complex Systems, 12(3), 371–392.

  3. Mestres, J., et al. (2009). The topology of drug–target interaction networks: Implicit dependence on drug properties and target families. Molecular BioSystems, 5(9), 1051–1057.

  4. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2009). Motifs. In Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science (Vol. 13, pp. 5692–5702). Springer.

  5. Valverde, S., et al. (2009). Percolation in insect nest networks: Evidence for optimal wiring. Physical Review E, 79(6), 066106.

2010

  1. Horta-Bernús, R., et al. (2010). Discerning electricity consumption patterns from urban allometric scaling. In Complexity in Engineering (pp. 49–51). IEEE.

  2. Solé, R. V., et al. (2010). Language networks: Their structure, function, and evolution. Complexity, 15(6), 20–26.

2011

  1. Flores, C. O., et al. (2011). Statistical structure of host–phage interactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(28), E288.

  2. Solé, R. V., et al. (2011). Convergent evolutionary paths in biological and technological networks. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 4(3), 415–426.

2012

  1. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2012). Motifs in graphs. In Computational Complexity (pp. 1919–1928). Springer, New York, NY.

  2. Valverde, S., et al. (2012). Evolved modular epistasis in artificial organisms. Artificial Life, 13, 111–115.

2013

  1. Flores, C. O., et al. (2013). Multi-scale structure and geographic drivers of crossinfection within marine bacteria and phages. The ISME Journal, 7(3), 520–532.

  2. Flores, C. O., et al. (2013). Phage-bacteria infection networks: From nestedness to modularity. In APS March Meeting Abstracts (J44–011).

  3. Solé, R. V., & Valverde, S. (2013). Before the endless forms: Embodied model of transition from single cells to aggregates to ecosystem engineering. PLOS ONE, 8(4), e59664.

  4. Solé, R. V., & Valverde, S. (2013). Macroevolution in silico: Scales, constraints and universals. Palaeontology, 56(6), 1327–1340.

  5. Solé, R. V., et al. (2013). The evolutionary ecology of technological innovations. Complexity, 18(4), 15–27.

  6. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2013). Networks and the city. Architectural Design, 83(4), 112–119.

  7. Weitz, J. S., et al. (2013). Phage–bacteria infection networks. Trends in Microbiology, 21(2), 82–91.

2014

  1. Gautrais, J., et al. (2014). The role of colony size on tunnel branching morphogenesis in ant nests. PLOS ONE, 9(10), e109436.

  2. Hillung, J., et al. (2014). Experimental evolution of an emerging plant virus in host genotypes that differ in their susceptibility to infection. Evolution, 68(9), 2467–2480.

  3. Solé, R. V., et al. (2014). Can a minimal replicating construct be identified as the embodiment of cancer? BioEssays, 36(5), 503–512.

  4. Valverde, S. (2014). Evolution of patent citation networks. In Complexity in Engineering (COMPENG) (pp. 1–5). IEEE.

2015

  1. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2015). A cultural diffusion model for the rise and fall of programming languages. Human Biology, 87(3), 224–234.

  2. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2015). Punctuated equilibrium in the large-scale evolution of programming languages. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 12(107), 20150249.

  3. Valverde, S., et al. (2015). Structural determinants of criticality in biological networks. Frontiers in Physiology, 6, 127.

2016

  1. Duran-Nebreda, S., et al. (2016). Emergence of proto-organisms from bistable stochastic differentiation and adhesion. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 13(117), 20160108.

  2. Flores, C. O., et al. (2016). BiMat: A MATLAB package to facilitate the analysis of bipartite networks. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(1), 127–132.

  3. Solé, R., et al. (2016). On singularities and black holes in combination-driven models of technological innovation networks. PLOS ONE, 11(1), e0146180.

  4. Valverde, S. (2016). Major transitions in information technology. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371(1701), 20150450.

  5. Valverde, S., & García-Ojalvo, J. (2016). Hacia una teoría unificada de la criticalidad biológica. Investigación y Ciencia.

  6. Valverde, S., & Solé, R. V. (2016). Correction to “Punctuated equilibrium in the large-scale evolution of programming languages”. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 13(117), 20160272.

  7. Valverde, S., et al. (2016). The software crisis of synthetic biology. bioRxiv, 041640.

2017

  1. Aguilar, D., et al. (2017). Computational analysis of multimorbidity between asthma, eczema and rhinitis. PLOS ONE, 12(6), e0179125.

  2. Solé, R., et al. (2017). The paradox of constant oceanic plastic debris: Evidence for evolved microbial biodegradation? bioRxiv, 135582.

  3. Valverde, S. (2017). Breakdown of modularity in complex networks. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 497.

  4. Valverde, S. (2017). Visualizing the evolution of programming languages. Leonardo, 50(5), 505.

  5. Valverde, S., et al. (2017). Spatially induced nestedness in a neutral model of phage-bacteria networks. Virus Evolution, 3(2), vex021.

2018

  1. Corominas-Murtra, B., et al. (2018). Chromatic transitions in the emergence of syntax networks. Royal Society Open Science, 5(12), 181286.

  2. Rosas-Casals, M., et al. (2018). A simple spatiotemporal evolution model of a transmission power grid. IEEE Systems Journal, 12(4), 3747–3754.

  3. Valverde, S., et al. (2018). The architecture of mutualistic networks as an evolutionary spandrel. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2(1), 94–99.

2020

  1. Ferrando-Bernal, M., et al. (2020). Mapping co-ancestry connections between the genome of a Medieval individual and modern Europeans. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 6843.

  2. Solé, R. V., & Valverde, S. (2020). Evolving complexity: How tinkering shapes cells, software and ecological networks. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 375(1796), 20190325.

  3. Valverde, S. (2020). The long and winding road: Accidents and tinkering in software standardization. Mètode: Revista de Difusió de la Investigació, 2(105), 68–75.

  4. Valverde, S., et al. (2020). Coexistence of nestedness and modularity in host–pathogen infection networks. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4(4), 568–577.

2021

  1. Bentley, R. A., et al. (2021). Neutral models are a tool, not a syndrome. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(7), 807–808.

  2. Gómez-Marín, A., et al. (2021). Cognition, collective behaviours and consciousness (Challenge 3). In E. Herrera & J. A. Esteban (Coords.), Brain, Mind & Behaviour (CSIC Scientific Challenges: Towards 2030, White Paper 5). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Publisher record.

  3. Bovolenta, P., Manzanares, M., & Buceta, J. (Coords.). (2021). Origins, (Co)Evolution, Diversity & Synthesis of Life (CSIC Scientific Challenges: Towards 2030, White Paper 2). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Series coordinators: Jesús Marco de Lucas & M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas. Sergi Valverde contributed as a Challenge 5 coordinator; the specific chapter is listed in entry 79. Institutional volume record.

  4. Valverde, S., Ares, S., Balsa-Canto, E., Banga, J. R., Elena, S. F., Iranzo, J., & Manrubia, S. C. (2021). Evolutionary system biology (Challenge 5). In P. Bovolenta, M. Manzanares, & J. Buceta (Coords.), Origins, (Co)Evolution, Diversity & Synthesis of Life (CSIC Scientific Challenges: Towards 2030, White Paper 2). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Published white paper.

  5. Vidiella, B., et al. (2021). Habitat loss causes long extinction transients in small trophic chains. Theoretical Ecology, 14(4), 641–661.

  6. Vidiella, B., et al. (2021). Structural entropy constrains dynamics in directed networks. Preprints, 2021010565.

2022

  1. Duran-Nebreda, S., et al. (2022). Dilution of expertise in the rise and fall of collective innovation. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 1–10.

  2. Galiana, N., et al. (2022). Ecological network complexity scales with area. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(3), 307–314.

  3. Toro-Delgado, E., et al. (2022). Butterfly–parasitoid–hostplant interactions in Western Palaearctic Hesperiidae: A DNA barcoding reference library. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 196(2), 757–774.

  4. Vidiella, B., et al. (2022). A cultural evolutionary theory that explains both gradual and punctuated change. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 19(196), 20220570.

2023

  1. Bentley, R. A., et al. (2023). Is disruption decreasing, or is it accelerating? Advances in Complex Systems, 26(2), 2350006.

  2. Duran-Nebreda, S., & Valverde, S. (2023). Composition, structure and robustness of lichen guilds. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 3295.

  3. Duran-Nebreda, S., & Valverde, S. (2023). Rashevsky’s dream: A physico-mathematical foundation of history and culture. Mètode Science Studies Journal, 85–90.

  4. Koppl, R., et al. (2023). Explaining technology. Elements in Evolutionary Economics. Cambridge University Press.

2024

  1. Bentley, R. A., Horne, B., Borycz, J., Carrignon, S., Shteynberg, G., Vidiella, B., Valverde, S., & O’Brien, M. J. (2024). Cultural evolution, disinformation, and social division. Adaptive Behavior, 32(2), 189–203. DOI: 10.1177/10597123231186432.

  2. Duran-Nebreda, S., Bentley, R. A., Vidiella, B., Spiridonov, A., Eldredge, N., O’Brien, M. J., & Valverde, S. (2024). On the multiscale dynamics of punctuated evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 39(8), 734–744. DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.003. Research thread.

  3. Duran-Nebreda, S., Vidiella, B., Spiridonov, A., Eldredge, N., O’Brien, M. J., Bentley, R. A., & Valverde, S. (2024). The many ways toward punctuated evolution. Palaeontology, 67(5), e12731. DOI: 10.1111/pala.12731.

  4. O’Brien, M. J., Valverde, S., Duran-Nebreda, S., Vidiella, B., & Bentley, R. A. (2024). Punctuated equilibrium at 50: Anything there for evolutionary anthropology? Yes; definitely. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 33(1), e22009. DOI: 10.1002/evan.22009.

2025

  1. Duran-Nebreda, S., & Valverde, S. (2025). The natural evolution of computing. In J. J. Tehrani, J. Kendal, & R. L. Kendal (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution (pp. 459–473). Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198869252.013.38. Print edition published 2025; chapter first published online 2023.

  2. Duran-Nebreda, S., Vidiella, B., Bentley, R. A., & Valverde, S. (2025). Fractal clusters and urban scaling shape spatial inequality in U.S. patenting. npj Complexity, 2(1), 30. DOI: 10.1038/s44260-025-00054-y.

  3. O’Brien, M. J., Vidiella, B., Duran-Nebreda, S., Bentley, R. A., & Valverde, S. (2025). Archaeology and the construction of artifact lineages: From culture history to phylogenetics. Biological Theory, 20(3), 189–211. DOI: 10.1007/s13752-025-00491-x.

  4. Valverde, S., Vidiella, B., Martínez-Redondo, G. I., Duran-Nebreda, S., Fernández, R., Bombarely, A., Rojas, A. M., & Bentley, R. A. (2025). Structural changes in Gene Ontology reveal modular and complex representations of biological function. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 42(6), msaf148. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaf148.

  5. Valverde, S., Vidiella, B., Spiridonov, A., & Bentley, R. A. (2025). The cultural macroevolution of arcade video games: Innovation, collaboration, and collapse. Evolutionary Human Sciences, 7, e30. DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2025.10015.

  6. Vidiella, B., Duran-Nebreda, S., & Valverde, S. (2025). Networks: The visual language of complexity. In M. Stich & J. Carballido-Landeira (Eds.), Nonlinear Dynamics for Biological Systems (SEMA SIMAI Springer Series, Vol. 40, pp. 135–162). Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-99044-1_6.

2026

  1. Valverde, S., Vidiella, B., & Duran-Nebreda, S. (2026). The evolutionary ecology of software: Constraints, innovation, and the AI disruption. In R. M. del Rio-Chanona, M. Pangallo, J. Bednar, E. D. Beinhocker, J. Kaszowska-Mojsa, F. Lafond, P. Mealy, A. Pichler, & J. D. Farmer (Eds.), The Economy as an Evolving Complex System IV (pp. 416–444; ebook pp. 934–962). SFI Press, Santa Fe, NM, USA. DOI: 10.37911/9781947864696.28.

  2. Vidiella, B., Duran-Nebreda, S., & Valverde, S. (2026). Hypergraphs in ecology link non-equilibrium dynamics and conservation. Communications Physics, 9(1), 198. DOI: 10.1038/s42005-026-02707-3.

  3. Fernández, R., Valverde, S., Bombarely, A., Cases, I., Handley, S. A., & Rojas, A. M. (2026). Rethinking molecular evolution through protein language model embeddings. Trends in Genetics. Online ahead of print. DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.05.014.

  4. Vidiella, B., Nicoletti, G., Fernández, R., Spiridonov, A., Sanchez, A., Hussain, S. T., & Valverde, S. (2026). Higher-order assembly and emergent persistence in biology. Current Opinion in Systems Biology, Article 100608. DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2026.100608. Research thread.