Network Design (modeling, analysis and optimization of networks part 2)

Networks are pervasive. Certainly our society heavily relies on computer networks, whose complexity scaled in a few decades from simple links among PCs in the same building to the rich structure of the Internet, in which heterogeneous nodes (ranging from datacenters to smartphones) connect by means of communication channels of diverse nature (cables, fiber optics, radio signals). Indeed, this is just an example, as networks appear in many others - less obvious - contexts, like the modeling of social relations, the regulatory structure of genes, interactions in molecular dynamics, human transportation and distribution systems, just to name a few. The PhD course will cover the issues of (a) understanding, extracting and exploiting network structures in various domains (b) modeling networks by means of mathematics (c) solving complex decision problems, and performing advanced analyses, by means of computer science methodologies, that is either selecting suitable existing algorithms and tools, or devising new ones.
The course is composed by two parts, the first focusing on routing, and especially on modeling and analyzing by means of network flows, the second covering the main foundational and algorithmic issues in optimal location and network design. This year's edition will cover part 2.
Target: PhD students in Computer Science or Mathematics, but in general also students in any scientific discipline whose curricula may benefit from enhanced modeling and experimental skills.