SITGES 2002: SITGES CONFERENCE
http://www.ffn.ub.es/sitges/

"Statistical Mechanics of Complex Networks"
XVIII Sitges Conference on Statistical Mechanics
Sitges, Barcelona, SPAIN, 10-14 June 2002
Departament de Fisica Fonamental, UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA

      Networks provide graphic images of the extent to which population form
      connections among individuals, and web-like structures describe a
large
      variety of systems in many fields of science. Recently, the growing
      interest in complex systems has prompted the study of real networks
with
      novel and previously uncharacterized topological properties. As a few
      examples, we can mention the Internet, a vast network of routers and
      computers, linked by physical wires; the world-wide-web, a virtual
network
      of web pages connected by hyper-links; social friendship or
collaboration
      networks; protein networks, ecological and food webs, etc. The study
of
      these systems clearly indicates that these complex networks must
display
      some organizing dynamical principles, encoded in their topology as
well,
      for which we need to develop new experimental and theoretical
concepts;
      i.e. a physics of complex networks.

      The purpose of this Workshop is to bring together key scientists from
the
      different fields in which complex networks play a major role with a
      twofold purpose. First of all, the attempt to define a unifying
framework,
      which can be fundamental in order to fully develop a solid theoretical
      understanding of the physical processes underlying the formation of
      complex networks. Secondly, the discussion of the possible relevance
of
      the notion of complex networks and the main achievements developed in
this
      field in a fully interdisciplinary perspective. By allowing the
      participation of the wide scientific community for which complex
networks
      can become a useful working tool, we hope to favor also the exchange
of
      experiences in the diverse fields of expertise of the key speakers.
That
      will surely lead to fruitful cross-fertilizations of ideas, as well as
to
      communicate to the participants the new and exciting advancements that
are
      made, day by day, in the ambit of complex networks. The presentations
will
      provide an overview of the phenomenology of networks with new findings
      from different fields and will draw a state-of-the-art picture of
      theoretical methods and approaches. One important goal of the workshop
is
      also to initiate interdisciplinary exchange between researchers, both
      experimentalists and theorists.

List of confirmed invited speakers:

        Luis A. Nunes Amaral (Boston University, Boston MA, USA)
        "Social Networks: Their many guises and structures"

        Albert-Laszlo Barabasi (Notre Dame University, Notre Dame IN, USA)
        "The Architecture of Complexity: Emergence of scaling in complex
        networks"

        Guido Caldarelli (Universita di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy)
        "Stability and Optimization in Food Webs"

        Albert Diaz-Guilera (Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain)
        "Search and congestion in complex communication networks"

        Peter Hanggi (Augsburg University, Augsburg, Germany)
        "Collective Properties of Ion Channel Clusters: Channel Noise,
        Synchronization, and Stochastic Resonance "

        Shlomo Havlin  (Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel)
        "The stability of complex networks"

        Jose F.F. Mendes (Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal)
        "Acelerated growth of networks"

        Mark Newman (Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe NM, USA)
        "Structure and function in social networks" (tentative)

        Zoltan N. Oltvai (Northwestern University, Chicago IL, USA)
        To be announced

        Luciano Pietronero (Universita di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy)
        To be announced

        Sidney Redner (Boston University, Boston MA, USA)
        "A statistical physics perspective on popularity"

        Ricard V. Sole (Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona,
Spain)
        "Ecology and evolution on complex networks"

        H. Eugene Stanley (Boston University, Boston MA, USA)
        "Origins of scaling and universality in complex networks"

        Alessandro Vespignani (ICTP Trieste, Italy)
        "Epidemic spreading and immunization in complex network"

        Duncan J. Watts (Columbia University, New York NY, USA)
        To be announced

        Yi-Cheng Zhang (Fribourg University, Switzerland)
        To be announced

A low number of short talks will be offered to selected participants, plus
a poster session.

Sponsors: this Conference is financed by  DGES of the Spanish Government,
CIRIT of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Universitat de Barcelona.

Scientific Committee:
  A.-L. Barabasi (Notre Dame University, USA)
  N.V. Brilliantov (Moscow State University, Russia)
  P. Hanggi (Augsburg University, Germany)
  R. Pastor-Satorras (Univ. Politecnica Catalunya)
  J. M. Rubi (Univ. Barcelona)
  A. Vespignani (ICTP Trieste, Italy)
  Y.-C. Zhang (Fribourg University, Switzerland)

Local Organizing Committee:
  J.M. Rubi (Univ. Barcelona)
  A. Arenas (Univ. Rovira i Virgili)
  A. Diaz-Guilera (Univ. Barcelona)
  I. Pagonabarraga (Univ. Barcelona)
  R. Pastor-Satorras (Univ. Politecnica Catalunya)
  A. Perez-Madrid (Univ. Barcelona)
  C.J. Perez (Univ. Barcelona)

Deadlines:
      Registration: April 26, 2002

Registration fee is 200.00€  and should be paid upon arrival at the
Conference
site.

Conference Hall:   Palau Maricel

Contact address:
Prof. Miguel Rubi
Dept. Fisica Fonamental
Universitat de Barcelona
Av. Diagonal, 647
Barcelona 08028 SPAIN
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Home Page: http://www.ffn.ub.es/sitges