The Complex Networks & Systems track, with its unique interdisciplinary values, offers a training opportunity to explore the connections among theoretical, technological, biological, and social implications of complex systems in a diverse and multidisciplinary research-oriented curriculum. The study of complex systems is focused on discovering and understanding how the myriad parts of a system—which could be the Internet, the human brain, a language, a power grid, or an ecosystem—interact with each other and determine the macroscopic behavior of the system itself. This strongly interdisciplinary field has exciting implications for computer science, physics, math, biology, and cognitive and social sciences. Faculty at the associated Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research (CNetS) and Center for Social and Biomedical Complexity (CSBC) are investigating complex systems in action, from determining how a particular YouTube video suddenly goes viral to developing models that can accurately predict the spread of contagious diseases.
The program also capitalizes on the new Indiana University Network Science Institute (IUNI) with over 150 faculty members who participate in network science and complex systems research and who can serve in interdisciplinary Ph.D. advisory committees. Indeed, the breadth and strength of research in network science and complex systems already pursued at Indiana University is unmatched by other academic programs. Our students come from around the world and have a variety of educational backgrounds. What they share is a desire to widen their theoretical, computational, and technical skills—and, from the earliest days of the program, to engage in research projects ranging from Web mining to modeling biochemical regulation. Our students have graduated to join some of the best academic, government and research and development centers in the World, ranging from top universities to the most advanced technology companies.
