Federica Baccini (University of Siena)

When: May 11th, 2022 – 11:00 – 11:45 AM

Where: Google meet link

Description

An introduction to higher order networks and simplicial complexes
Network science aims to capture the complexity of a system by studying the interactions among its constituents. For overcoming the shortfall of standard network models, research is moving towards more general models, such as higher order networks or hypergraphs. They are defined in order to study the simultaneous interaction among more than two entities, thus going beyond the idea of the pairwise interactions modelled by graphs. Recently, researchers have focused their attention on a subclass of higher order networks, namely simplicial complexes. Indeed, simplicial complexes allow to study higher order networks in their natural topological spaces, for which results from algebraic topology can be applied.
In this introductory talk, I will give a concise overview of higher order networks, focusing on simplicial complexes. First, I will motivate their use for modelling complex interactions; secondly, I will discuss the main definitions in the field, highlighting the interplay between network science and topology. Finally, I will briefly present some research directions about simplicial complexes.