tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
World-renowned statistical physicist Alessandro Vespignani is the weatherman of network science.
In 2009, the newly appointed Sternberg Distinguished Professor of Physics, Computer Science and Health Sciences?with appointments in the College of Science, College of Computer and Information Science and the Bouv? College of Health Sciences?developed a computational model that accurately predicted the spread of the H1N1 virus.
Taking a proactive approach to tracking the spread of a biological virus, Vespignani says, could have the power to transform drug deployment. As he puts it, ?My dream is to forecast pandemic-spreading like a weather forecaster predicts a hurricane days before it hits. We have to anticipate the spread of a disease so doctors and policymakers can plan how to use their resources in the most intelligent ways.?
Prior to joining the Northeastern faculty, Vespignani served as the James H. Rudy Professor and Director of the Center for Complex Networks and Systems at Indiana University. He earned his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1994.
His landmark research on the spread of viruses, in which he proved that even weak strains can proliferate in a real-world, nonrandom, scale-free network, has transformed the analysis of spreading processes and shaped policies aimed at eradicating infections ranging from HIV to computer viruses.
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http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2011/10/vespignani.html
In 2009, the newly appointed Sternberg Distinguished Professor of Physics, Computer Science and Health Sciences?with appointments in the College of Science, College of Computer and Information Science and the Bouv? College of Health Sciences?developed a computational model that accurately predicted the spread of the H1N1 virus.
Taking a proactive approach to tracking the spread of a biological virus, Vespignani says, could have the power to transform drug deployment. As he puts it, ?My dream is to forecast pandemic-spreading like a weather forecaster predicts a hurricane days before it hits. We have to anticipate the spread of a disease so doctors and policymakers can plan how to use their resources in the most intelligent ways.?
Prior to joining the Northeastern faculty, Vespignani served as the James H. Rudy Professor and Director of the Center for Complex Networks and Systems at Indiana University. He earned his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1994.
His landmark research on the spread of viruses, in which he proved that even weak strains can proliferate in a real-world, nonrandom, scale-free network, has transformed the analysis of spreading processes and shaped policies aimed at eradicating infections ranging from HIV to computer viruses.
..
http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2011/10/vespignani.html