La investigadora Gissell Estrada, professora a la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya i adscrita al Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, ha estat seleccionada com una de les 60 beneficiàries de la Beca Leonardo 2025 de la Fundación BBVA. El projecte becat, titulat Collective migration across scales: From PDEs to physical swarms, explora com les interaccions a escala microscòpica entre individus donen lloc a patrons col·lectius a escala macroscòpica, com el moviment de bandades d’ocells, eixams de drons o colònies cel·lulars.
Segons Estrada, es tracta d’ “un marc interdisciplinari que utilitza eixams robòtics programables per validar models basats en equacions en derivades parcials (PDEs) del moviment col·lectiu cel·lular i per posar a prova hipòtesis de desplaçament en condicions de soroll natural i comportaments inesperats”.
Amb una trajectòria internacional que inclou estades a centres com el BCAM, el Mathematical Institute d’Oxford o la Sorbonne Université, la seva recerca se situa a l’encreuament entre les equacions en derivades parcials, els sistemes de partícules interactuants i les aplicacions en biologia i robòtica.
“El modelatge matemàtic funciona com un laboratori d’idees.”
Rebre aquest suport suposa un punt d’inflexió. “Com a investigadora en una etapa inicial treballant en PDEs aplicades, aquesta beca em proporciona una oportunitat única per consolidar la meva línia de recerca independent. A més, permetrà finançar components experimentals, com plataformes robòtiques o la recollida de dades, que normalment no estan coberts per les ajudes estàndard en matemàtiques”, assenyala. El projecte s’emmarca dins del seu objectiu a llarg termini: crear un grup de recerca centrat en l’estudi i aplicació de les PDEs a fenòmens reals.
Més enllà del cas concret d’aquest projecte, Estrada reivindica el paper fonamental de les matemàtiques en les ciències aplicades. “Les matemàtiques són una eina molt potent, no només en biologia o física, sinó també en les ciències socials. Permeten afinar models, validar hipòtesis i reduir la necessitat d’experiments costosos o lents. El modelatge matemàtic funciona com un laboratori d’idees”, conclou.
Amb el suport de la beca Leonardo, la seva recerca rep un nou impuls per continuar obrint camins entre la teoria matemàtica i els sistemes complexos que habiten el nostre món, des del microcosmos cel·lular fins a la robòtica del futur.
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CRM CommPau Varela
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