The Center for Social Data Analytics Speaker Series Presents: Reka Albert (Physics)

Title: "Discrete dynamic modeling of complex networks"

Abstract: Modeling the dynamics of complex systems requires an approach that captures the individuality and specific interactions of each element. Due to the high-dimensional state space, this requirement poses an extraordinary computational and cognitive challenge. My group developed concepts and methods that simplify the exploration of state spaces, focusing on the regions where irreversible decisions occur. This approach enables more efficient identification of key dynamic behaviors, decision points, and control strategies. I will highlight a coarse-grained Markov chain method, which distills complex system dynamics into a compact, parameterized summary. This research offers new pathways for both prediction and intervention.

Speaker bio: Prof. Réka Albert is an Evan Pugh University Professor with appointments in the Department of Physics, the Department of Biology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. She received her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Notre Dame, where she co-authored with her PhD advisor Albert-László Barabási multiple pioneering publications on the structural heterogeneities of complex networks. Prof. Albert ‘s current research has two foci: (i) developing predictive models of biological networks at multiple levels of organization and (ii) advancing the methodologies to construct and analyze discrete dynamic models. Prof. Albert is a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Network Science Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science