Three-day meeting

Modelling Complex Systems

University of Manchester, 21-23 June 2010


A 3-day meeting exploring how physicists can contribute to the biological, economic and social sciences, aimed principally at graduate students and established physicists who are interested in learning about these novel applications.

Each day will have a different theme: epidemics, social systems and networks. In the morning of each day there will be three lectures discussing different approaches to the topic of that day, one might be by a physicist, another by a researcher `native' to the field, and the third would perhaps represent yet another point of view, maybe another modeller or perhaps a data-analyst or experimentalist. After lunch the audience will break up into three groups, each one discussing the relative merits of one of the approaches. Later in the afternoon, the groups will come together again to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different modelling traditions.

The talks will be 50 minutes plus 10 minutes of questions.


Venue:
All talks will be held in Niels Bohr Common Room in the Schuster Building, University of Manchester, UK

A map can be downloaded here.

On the campus map Manchester Piccadilly station is at the top left, Oxford Road station on the extreme left half way down and the Schuster Building is number 54.

The Niels Bohr Common Room is on the 6th floor.


Organizers:
Tobias Galla 

Alan McKane 


Programme:

Day 1: Monday June 21st - Epidemics

Lecture 1 (9:30-10:30):

Frank Ball (Nottingham - Mathematics)

Epidemics with two levels of mixing
slides

Coffee (10:30-11:00)

Lecture 2 (11:00-12:00):

Marc Barthelemy (CEA Saclay - Physics)

Modelling global epidemics: theory and simulations
slides

Lecture 3 (12:00-13:00):

Alun Lloyd (North Carolina State University - Mathematics)

Approaches for Modeling the Spread and Control of Mosquito-Borne Diseases: From Simple to Complex Models
slides

Lunch (13:00-14:30)

Group discussions (14:30-16:00):

The audience will break into three groups, each one discussing the strengths and weaknesses of one modelling approach. Discussions will be based on a selection of papers reflecting the different views.

Coffee (16:00-16:30)

Presentations by groups and discussion (16:30-17:30)

Academic speed dating (17:30-18:30)


Day 2: Tuesday June 22nd - Social Systems

Lecture 1 (9:30-10:30):

Andreas Flache (Groningen - Social Scienes)

The complexities of social integration in a diverse society
slides

Coffee (10:30-11:00)

Lecture 2 (11:00-12:00):

Duccio Fanelli (Firenze - Physics)

Simplified approaches to opinion dynamics modelling
slides

Lecture 3 (12:00-13:00):

Nigel Gilbert (Surrey - Social Sciences)

Simulating social phenomena: the middle way
slides

Lunch (13:00-14:30)

Group discussions (14:30-16:00):

The audience will break into three groups, each one discussing the strengths and weaknesses of one modelling approach. Discussions will be based on a selection of papers reflecting the different views.

Coffee (16:00-16:30)

Presentations by groups and discussion (16:30-17:30)


Day 3: Wednesday June 23rd - Networks

Lecture 1 (9:30-10:30):

Sergei Maslov (Brookhaven - Physics)

Modeling biomolecular networks: from metabolism and its regulation to protein-protein interactions
slides

Coffee (10:30-11:00)

Lecture 2 (11:00-12:00):

Tim Evans (Imperial College - Theoretical Physics)

The mathematical description of networks
slides

Lecture 3 (12:00-13:00):

Martin Everett (Manchester - Social Sciences)

Networks and Social Roles
slides

Lunch (13:00-14:30)

Group discussions (14:30-16:00):

The audience will break into three groups, each one discussing the strengths and weaknesses of one modelling approach. Discussions will be based on a selection of papers reflecting the different views.

Coffee (16:00-16:30)

Presentations by groups and discussion (16:30-17:30)