Professor Pawel Pralat invited as visiting scientist at Simon’s Institute, UC Berkeley

From August to December, TMU mathematics professor Pawel Pralat will research at the Simon’s Institute for the Theory of Computing. He will work alongside some of the world’s top computer scientists and mathematicians on fundamental questions in computer science.

The institute is based out of the University of California, Berkely. Participation is exclusive and by invitation only. By design, the hub veers from “business as usual” research programs and instead, investigates questions to push the outer limits of theoretical computer science. Through interdisciplinary research, the institute examines disciplines — such as economics, neuroscience, and biology — which can be looked at through a computational lens.  

Pralat brings well-known expertise in mining and modelling complex networks. During his visit, he’ll participate specifically in the program “Graph Limits and Processes on Networks: From Epidemics to Misinformation (external link) ”. 

The researchers will focus on graph limits — an invention designed to represent complex networks succinctly. The tool is still evolving and until now, has only been explored in the simplest cases. With systematic examination and greater development, graph limits could become a potent, robust tool for applications such as modelling the effectiveness of quarantine, the distributional consequences of pandemic policies and the spread of misinformation campaigns.