Members

Javier M. Buldú (Principal Investigator)

javier Coordinator of the Laboratory of Biological Networks of the Center for Biomedical Technology, Javier M. Buldú is an Engineer and Doctor in Applied Physics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He is an expert in nonlinear dynamics and complex systems, but especially in the application of Network Science to biological, technological and social systems. He has published more than 100 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals, organized international conferences and schools, and collaborated with various companies on intelligent data analysis. Javier has completed post-doctoral stays at the Center for Astrobiology and has been a visiting researcher at the University of Oxford. It has also carried out research transfer activities, collaborating with various companies in the application of Network Science to the private sector. During the last years he has specialized in data science applied to soccer, developing new metrics from methodologies of complex systems.
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Johann H. Martínez (Assistant Professor)

johann My primary interests lie in the Physics of Complex Systems, in which I explore phenomena of network science, information theory, & nonlinear dynamics along with data science projects in the context of neuroscience, social, & biology, among others.
I was always been impressed by research works showing how natural and man-made systems exhibit behaviors typically attributed to physical systems. Hence, I bet for transdisciplinary research to solve problems, in a given field, by resorting to tools from a prima facie completely different one. An innovative way to find new solutions with a different perspective working in interdisciplinary teams emphasizing applied mathematics, statistical physics, & computer science, with applications to relevant medical, biological, or social problems.
I’m a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Complex Networks (Oxford Academics), guest editor of Chaos Solitons & Fractals (Elsevier), & Chaos Journal (AIP). I’m part of the steering committee of the Latin American Conference on Complex Networks (LANET), & ENREDANDO, International school of nonlinear dynamics and networks, Organizer of the Brain Networks Satellites @NetSci.
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José G. Espinoza (Data Engineer)

espinoza Computer Science graduate from Universidad del Zulia (Maracaibo - Venezuela) with experience in global projects, excelling in the development, design and maintenance of microservices oriented systems (RESTful APIs) and in the implementation of API architectures using tools such as ApiGee and Swagger.
Focused on technologies such as Java (Spring Boot), PHP, JavaScript and Python, in addition to the use of relational databases (MySQL and PostgreSQL) and non-relational (MongoDB). His experience includes handling Git (Version Control Tool), as well as managing application containers using Docker and Kubernetes on Cloud platforms such as AWS and GCP, facilitating the deployment and scalability of applications. He currently works as a Software Developer for a European multinational company.
His interest in sports has led him to become certified in areas such as Big Data applied to soccer and sports statistics, always seeking to optimize performance and decision making through technology.
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Paula Rodríguez (PhD student)

paula Paula Rodríguez is a telecommunications engineer from the Technical University of Madrid and holds a master’s degree in Condensed Matter Physics and Biological Systems from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She is currently a PhD student in the Complex Systems group at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. Her research explores the relationship between space, time and evolution of complex systems in social, natural and technological environments, using tools from network science, nonlinear dynamics, statistical physics and machine learning.

Xiuyuan Xiong (PhD student)

xiong Xiuyuan Xiong holds a degree in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from East China University of Technology and a Master’s degree in Sports Science from Beijing Sport University. He is currently a doctoral student at the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (INEF) at the Technical University of Madrid, under the supervision of Javier M. Buldú and Miguel Ángel Gómez Ruano. His research uses network science and machine learning to analyze the performance of football teams.

Kongyun Huang (PhD student)

paula Kongyun Huang holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and a Master’s degree in Physical Education Teaching from Shanghai University of Sport. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the Faculty of Education and Sports Sciences at Rey Juan Carlos University, under the supervision of Javier M. Buldú. His research focuses on performance analysis in football, using tools from network science, complex systems theory, and machine learning methods to model and quantify team tactical behaviors and their dynamic evolution.

Julieta Schwartz (Research Assistant)

julieta Graduated in Physics from the University of Zaragoza after spending a year at Bath University (England) where she developed her passion for sports data analysis. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Big Data, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the Complutense University of Madrid. She is passionate about soccer, physics and sports, with several half marathons. She is currently a research assistant in the Complex Systems group at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, where she analyzes complex data and provides support using advanced programming and analysis tools.

Daniel Alonso (Research Assistant)

javi Daniel Alonso holds a degree in Mathematical Engineering from Universidad Francisco de Vitoria and a Master’s in Sports Data Analytics from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow). A lifelong enthusiast of both sports and mathematics, he decided to pursue a career that would allow him to combine his two passions. He is currently a research assistant through the “Young Researchers” fellowship at Rey Juan Carlos University, where he provides decision-making support using advanced programming tools for the development of applications and data analysis techniques.

Carolina Contreras (Project Manager)

javi Carolina Contreras currently serves as the Project Manager for the Research Project affiliated with the Networks and Complex Systems Group at Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC), a role she carries out alongside her doctoral studies in Education at the Complutense University of Madrid. Her professional background is grounded in her experience as an educator, where she has applied her degrees in Spanish and Classical Philology, as well as her Master’s in Education, demonstrating a continuous commitment to academic excellence and pedagogical innovation.

External collaborators

Ignacio Echegoyen

Ignacio Echegoyen is a Psychologist and Doctor in Biomedical Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid. He specialized in methods, statistics and analysis of brain time series. His professional work has been developed mainly in the field of network neuroscience, applying techniques of analysis of complex systems to the study of the brain. He collaborates as an adviser and statistical analyst with COTERA education, and in recent years has been dedicated to the application of complex systems methodologies to football/soccer.

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José Luis Herrera Diestra

diestra PhD in Fundamental Physics graduated from the Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida - Venezuela. He completed postdoctoral stays at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas - United States (2012 - 2013 and 2016 - 2017) and at ICTP - SAIFR, Sao Paulo - Brazil (2017 - 2019). He currently works at the University of Texas at Austin as an Associate Investigator. His main field of research is the characterization and study of complex networks in various contexts. In this sense, José Luis collaborates with various groups at the national and international levels, conducting research on the effect of contact networks on the spread of infectious diseases in humans and animals; as well as the application of complex networks to evaluate individual and group performance in sports, particularly football/soccer.

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Rishiraj Sinharay

echegoyen Rishiraj is a Data Scientist with a Master's degree in Data Science from Monash University, Melbourne. He is currently pursuing a Private Master's degree in Sports Analytics with Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid Universidad Europea, further specializing his technical expertise in the sports domain. Rishi is deeply passionate about sports, especially football and cricket, both as a player and as a developer of innovative data-driven solutions. He collaborates with the group as a data scientist on projects involving football analytics.

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