Hello all, We are recruiting a fully funded PhD student to join NPLab at Northeastern University London, under the ERC Consolidator Grant RUNES. Project: Higher-Order Coordination and Emergent Communication Across Human, AI and Animal Systems. The project investigates how coordination and communication emerge in groups whose interaction structure goes beyond pairwise contact — developing new higher-order network theory and testing it across human social systems, animal collectives, and AI ensembles. *Funding:* Full UKRI-rate stipend + tuition for 3.5 years. Start date September 2026. *Candidate profile:* MSc in physics, mathematics, computer science, or a quantitative field. Background in network science, statistical mechanics, multi-agent systems, or computational social science. Strong programming skills (Python, Julia, or equivalent). *Application*: via jobs.ac.uk — search DRF217, or follow this link: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRF217/ Informal enquiries welcome at giovanni.petri@nulondon.ac.uk. Please share with anyone who might be interested. Best, G. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Higher-Order Systems* Available through all good bookshops, or direct from SpringerLink <https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-91374-8> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Giovanni Petri, PhD Professor, Network Science Institute Northeastern University London Department of Physics, College of Sciences Northeastern University, Boston MA https://nplresearch.github.io/ - lordgrilo.github.io ------ Network Science Lead, Project CETI <https://www.projectceti.org/>, Director, ERC Consolidator Grant RUNES <https://nplresearch.github.io/#/projects/runes> ------