Complex Dynamics in Networks

In this episode, we learn why simply analyzing the structure of a network is not enough, and how the dynamics - the actual mechanisms of interaction between components - can drastically change how information or influence spreads. Our guest, Professor Baruch Barzel of Bar-Ilan University, is a leading researcher in network dynamics and complex systems ranging from biology to infrastructure and beyond.

Guest

Baruch Barzel: Prof. Baruch Barzel is a physicist and applied mathematician, director of the Complex Network Dynamics lab at Bar-Ilan University. His main scientific research areas are statistical physics, complex systems, nonlinear dynamics and network science. Barzel completed his Ph.D. in physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel as a Hoffman Fellow. He then pursued his postdoctoral training at the Center for Complex Network Research at Northeastern University and at the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on the dynamic behavior of complex networks, with applications ranging from disease spreading in social networks, to brain, biological systems and infrastructure resilience. Barzel is a co-founder and chief scientist of Opmed.ai, a software company for optimizing healthcare resilience. Prof. Barzel is the recipient of the Racah Prize (2007), the Rector Prize for Scientific Innovation (2018) and the Krill Prize on behalf of the Wolf Foundation (2019). In addition to his research activity, Barzel is a frequently invited public lecturer on both science and humanities, presenting a regular segment on the Israel National Radio.