Description:

A multiplex network is a collection of single-layer networks sharing common nodes; each layer of a multiplex captures a different type of pairwise interaction among nodes. This is a convenient and meaningful representation of many real-world complex systems. I will discuss findings from two of my recent works, modeling epidemic spreading and transportation systems as multiplex networks. In the first work, we model epidemic spreading in group-structured populations using a multiplex approach. An example of a group-structured population is college-going students, where most of the contacts occur in group settings, like a classroom or dormitory. We investigate the effect of the interelation of different group structures on epidemic spreading. Moreover, using the data on the housing and class attendance of students from Indiana University Bloomington, we show that reshaping these group structures can used as an effective and practical strategy to mitigate epidemic outbreaks. In the second work, we focus on the problem of finding the structure of networks embedded in space that provide optimal tranportation properties. We show that optimal networks undergo sharp transitions from symmetric to asymmetric shapes, indicating that it is sometimes better to avoid serving a whole area. We also analyze the real transportation networks of the cities of Atlanta, Boston, and Toronto using our theoretical framework and find that they are farther away from their optimal shapes as traffic congestion increases.

Siddharth Patwardhan, PhD Student, Indiana University, Bloomington

Host: Adilson Motter