Louisa Jane Di Felice
About
My research is post-disciplinary and rooted in complexity science, as a way of understanding, describing, and modeling reality. Complex systems can never be fully explained from a single perspective or scale. Instead, they require multiple viewpoints, which means embracing plurality, uncertainty, and humility as part of how we make sense of the world.
I study how complex systems work across different scales (spatial, temporal, and informational), and how the parts of the system influence the whole, and vice versa. I apply this approach to two main areas: sustainability, and the organisation of social systems. Below, I’ve included a short description of each theme (one theoretical and two applied), along with selected publications. For a full list, see my Google Scholar page. If you can’t access an article, please get in touch and I’ll be happy to share a copy.
At the moment, I am not affiliated with a university. I am exploring ways to create meaningful science outside (or partly within) academia, while maintaining a critical stance toward paywalls, “publish or perish” culture, the myth of meritocracy, and the neoliberalisation of higher education. If you’re interested in post-academic science, want to discuss or collaborate on these research areas, or are a student looking for supervision on related topics, I’d love to hear from you.
Self-organisation, anarchism, and complexity
In this theme, I explore the theoretical and political implications of alternative understandings of hierarchy, as well as the synergies between complexity science and anarchism. This is my newest line of research and the one I am most excited about.
Complex systems are often organised hierarchically, but the term “hierarchy” is frequently misunderstood as referring only to systems of power or control, where elements “at the top” give orders to those “at the bottom”. While this is one possible form of hierarchy, systems can also be organised across multiple informational scales, with power and control distributed at the middle or lower levels. Such structures preserve the advantages of multi-scale organisation (such as scalability), while avoiding the centralisation of power. Many past and present anarchic systems provide valuable examples of this type of hierarchical self-organisation, and examining the intersections of complexity and anarchism offers both theoretical and political insights.
- Articles & conference proceedings:
In preparation
Di Felice, L.J. & Diaconescu, A. Complexity and anarchism: synergies and new ways forward.
Published
Di Felice, L. J., & Diaconescu, A. Hierarchy beyond top-down control: the architecture of self-organised social systems (2023).
In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems Companion.
The behaviour of multi-scale complex systems
Complex systems are often understood to operate across multiple scales (spatial, temporal, or organisational). In this research theme, which began as a group project at the 2018 Santa Fe Institute Complex Systems Summer School, we investigate how to bring these different notions of scale together from an informational perspective. By unifying different types of multi-scale systems under a shared framework, we can identify general patterns in the behavior of complex systems, with particular attention to feedback and adaptation.
- Articles & conference proceedings:
Pre-prints
Di Felice, L. J., Diaconescu, A., Zahadat, P., & Mellodge, P. (2025). The Value of Information in Multi-Scale Feedback Systems. arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.11509.
Published
Diaconescu, A., Di Felice, L. J., & Mellodge, P. (2021). An information-oriented view of multi-scale systems. In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems Companion (ACSOS-C) (pp. 154-159). IEEE.
Mellodge, P., Diaconescu, A., & Di Felice, L. J. (2021). Timing configurations affect the macro-properties of multi-scale feedback systems. In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems (ACSOS) (pp. 100-109). IEEE.
Diaconescu, A., Di Felice, L. J., & Mellodge, P. (2021). Exogenous coordination in multi-scale systems: How information flows and timing affect system properties. Future Generation Computer Systems, 114, 403-426.
Diaconescu, A., Di Felice, L. J., & Mellodge, P. (2019, June). Multi-scale feedbacks for large-scale coordination in self-systems. In 2019 IEEE 13th International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO) (pp. 137-142). IEEE.
Sustainability, social metabolism, and energy justice
Social-ecological systems (SES) are inherently complex, and decision-making for sustainability requires engaging with multiple narratives while navigating uncertainty. In this research theme, I approach SES complexity from three perspectives. First, I analyse how SES function across different scales, with particular attention to energy patterns, to better understand their social metabolism. Second, I examine how different representations of SES are mobilised at the science–policy interface, focusing on the influence of dominant sustainability narratives. Third, I address questions of justice by exploring the narratives generated by different actors involved in renewable energy projects.
Articles and conference proceedings:
In preparation
Montagnani, S., Di Felice, L. J., & Grosinger, J. Eco-mirroring. Ecological insights for a post-growth transition.
Under review
Del Bene, D., Cantoni, R., Bontempi, A., Di Felice, L. J., & Siciliano, G. Shared values vs. plural values. Contesting renewable energy projects of the Enel group.
Published
Di Felice, L. J., Pérez-Sánchez, L., Manfroni, M., & Giampietro, M. (2024). Towards nexus thinking in energy systems modelling: A multi-scale, embodied perspective. Energy Policy, 187, 114052.
Bontempi, A., Del Bene, D., & Di Felice, L. J. (2021). Counter-reporting sustainability from the bottom up: the case of the construction company WeBuild and dam-related conflicts. Journal of Business Ethics, 182(1), 7-32.
Di Felice, L. J., Cabello, V., Ripa, M., & Madrid-Lopez, C. (2021). Quantitative storytelling: science, narratives, and uncertainty in Nexus innovations. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 48(4), 861-887.
Di Felice, L. J., Renner, A., & Giampietro, M. (2021). Why should the EU implement electric vehicles? Viewing the relationship between evidence and dominant policy solutions through the lens of complexity. Environmental science & policy, 123, 1-10.
Ripa, M., Di Felice, L. J., & Giampietro, M. (2021). The energy metabolism of post-industrial economies. A framework to account for externalization across scales. Energy, 214, 118943.
Kovacic, Z., & Di Felice, L. J. (2019). Complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity: Implications for European Union energy governance. Energy Research & Social Science, 53,159-169.
Di Felice, L. J., Ripa, M., & Giampietro, M. (2019). An alternative to market-oriented energy models: Nexus patterns across hierarchical levels. Energy Policy, 126, 431-443.