The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University has announced a $25 million gift from the Ryan Family Foundation to establish a research institute that will leverage the potential of the interdisciplinary field of complexity science.

The Ryan Institute on Complexity will include a research lab designed to change the way business, markets and societal issues are studied, combining faculty from the fields of physics, economics, and sociology to use quantitative science, big data, and artificial intelligence in ways that can “tackle bigger problems faster.” The gift from the foundation of longtime alumni supporters Patrick G. (‘59, ‘09H) and Shirley W. Ryan (‘61, ‘19H) is in addition to the couple’s $480 million gift to the university in 2021.

The institute—the first of its kind to be housed in a business school—will include a “dry lab” setting typically found in the hard sciences, which will enable scholars to work with big data and the quantitative tools needed to study social and business phenomena on a large scale. This approach holds the promise of generating deeper and more generalizable insights into society's biggest questions, such as understanding human-machine partnerships at the forefront of generative AI. Initially, the lab will focus on leveraging large language models starting with the premise that “generative AI will not replace humans, but those who understand AI will replace those who don’t.”

“If we can integrate complexity science and this fundamental thinking from physics and the natural sciences and apply it to business and markets, developing thought leadership and training future leaders in the school—that could be a very meaningful contribution to society,” said institute co-lead Dashun Wang.

“This revolutionary research institute will place Kellogg and Northwestern University at the forefront of the study of complexity science,” said foundation board member Pat Ryan, Jr. (‘97 JD, MBA). “Cutting-edge analytical approaches can now unlock previously unimaginable understandings of our complex world that will be transformational for business and society.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Gorodenkoff)