Biography

I am a physicist with a strong interest in applied sciences. My research deals with Complex Networks, Data Science and their application to the study and modeling of social and urban systems.

I am an Associate Professor in the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University London and Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Physics at Northeastern University.

Previously, I have been a James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Network and Data Science, CEU. I received my PhD from the School of Mathematical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London, where I worked within the Complex Systems and Networks Research Group under the supervision of Vito Latora. I have held research positions at the Centre de Physique Théorique of Aix-Marseille University, at the Urban Dynamics Lab of the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), UCL, at The Alan Turing Institute (London), and at the ISI Foundation in Turin. I also worked as a Data Science Intern at UN Universal Postal Union in Bern.

Interests

  • Complex Networks
  • Complex Systems
  • Science of Cities
  • Computational Social Science

Education

  • PhD in Mathematics

    Queen Mary University of London

  • MSc in Physics of Complex Systems

    University of Turin

  • BSc in Physics

    University of Bologna

News

A SocioPatterns study during the Complexity 72h Workshop

Jun 18, 2024 3 min read
A SocioPatterns study during the Complexity 72h Workshop

Featured story in Northeastern Global News!

How do birds communicate?
May 21, 2024 1 min read
Featured story in Northeastern Global News!

1st edition of CRAB: Complexity Research in Animal Behaviour!

Call for abstracts is now open
Last updated on May 8, 2024 1 min read
1st edition of CRAB: Complexity Research in Animal Behaviour!

PhD opening in Network Science!

PhD opening in Network Science! There’s a fully Funded PhD Scholarship in Network Science for UK or international students. Come and join me at the newly launched hub of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University London!
Last updated on May 8, 2024 1 min read
PhD opening in Network Science!

New edition of Complexity 72h!

Join me in Madrid!
Last updated on May 8, 2024 1 min read
New edition of Complexity 72h!
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Featured Publications

The temporal dynamics of group interactions in higher-order social networks

Representing social systems as networks, starting from the interactions between individuals, sheds light on the mechanisms governing …
I. Iacopini, M. Karsai, A. Barrat
Preprint PDF Code DOI
The temporal dynamics of group interactions in higher-order social networks

Not your private tête-à-tête: leveraging the power of higher-order networks to study animal communication

Animal communication is frequently studied with conventional network representations that link pairs of individuals who interact, for …
I. Iacopini, J. R. Foote, N. H. Fefferman, E. P. Derryberry, M. J. Silk
Preprint PDF DOI
Not your private tête-à-tête: leveraging the power of higher-order networks to study animal communication

Hyper-cores promote localization and efficient seeding in higher-order processes

Going beyond networks, to include higher-order interactions of arbitrary sizes, is a major step to better describe complex systems. In …
M. Mancastroppa, I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Barrat
Preprint PDF Code DOI
Hyper-cores promote localization and efficient seeding in higher-order processes

Non-selective distribution of infectious disease prevention may outperform risk-based targeting

Epidemic control often requires optimal distribution of available vaccines and prophylactic tools, to protect from infection those …
B. Steinegger, I. Iacopini, A. S. Teixeira, A. Bracci, P. Casanova-Ferrer, A. Antonioni, E. Valdano
PDF Code DOI
Non-selective distribution of infectious disease prevention may outperform risk-based targeting

Group interactions modulate critical mass dynamics in social convention

How can minorities of individuals overturn social conventions? The theory of critical mass states that when a committed minority …
I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Baronchelli, A. Barrat
Preprint PDF Code DOI
Group interactions modulate critical mass dynamics in social convention

The physics of higher-order interactions in complex systems

Complex networks have become the main paradigm for modelling the dynamics of interacting systems. However, networks are intrinsically …
F. Battiston, E. Amico, A. Barrat, G. Bianconi, G. F. de Arruda, B. Franceschiello, I. Iacopini, S. Kéfi, V. Latora, Y. Moreno, M. M. Murray, T. P. Peixoto, F. Vaccarino, G. Petri
PDF
The physics of higher-order interactions in complex systems

Interactive discovery processes on complex networks

Innovation is the driving force of human progress. Recent urn models reproduce well the dynamics through which the discovery of a …
I. Iacopini, G. Di Bona, E. Ubaldi, V. Loreto, V. Latora
PDF Code Video DOI
Interactive discovery processes on complex networks

Networks beyond pairwise interactions: structure and dynamics

The complexity of many biological, social and technological systems stems from the richness of the interactions among their units. Over …
F. Battiston, G. Cencetti, I. Iacopini, V. Latora, M. Lucas, A. Patania, J.-G. Young, G. Petri
Preprint PDF DOI
Networks beyond pairwise interactions: structure and dynamics

Simplicial models of social contagion

Complex networks have been successfully used to describe the spread of diseases in populations of interacting individuals. Conversely, …
I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Barrat, V. Latora
PDF Code DOI
Simplicial models of social contagion

Network dynamics of innovation processes

We introduce a model for the emergence of innovations, in which cognitive processes are described as random walks on the network of …
I. Iacopini, S. Milojević, V. Latora
Preprint PDF DOI
Network dynamics of innovation processes

Publications

Quickly discover relevant content by filtering publications.
C. Caprioli, S. Kulkarni, F. Battiston, I. Iacopini, A. Santoro, V. Latora (2024). The networks of ingredient combination in cuisines around the world. in arXiv.

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I. Iacopini, M. Karsai, A. Barrat (2024). The temporal dynamics of group interactions in higher-order social networks. in Nature Communications.

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M. Mancastroppa, I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Barrat (2024). The structural evolution of temporal hypergraphs through the lens of hyper-cores. in EPJ Data Science.

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E. Andres, G. Odor, I. Iacopini, M. Karsai (2024). Distinguishing mechanisms of social contagion from local network view. in arXiv.

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I. Iacopini, J. R. Foote, N. H. Fefferman, E. P. Derryberry, M. J. Silk (2024). Not your private tête-à-tête: leveraging the power of higher-order networks to study animal communication. in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

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I. Z. Kiss, I. Iacopini, P. L. Simon, N. Georgiou (2023). Insights from exact social contagion dynamics on networks with higher-order structures. in Journal of Complex Networks.

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M. Mancastroppa, I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Barrat (2023). Hyper-cores promote localization and efficient seeding in higher-order processes. in Nature Communications.

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G. Di Bona, A. Bellina, G. De Marzo, A. Petralia, I. Iacopini, V. Latora (2023). The dynamics of higher-order novelties. in arXiv.

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N. W. Landry, M. Lucas, I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Schwarze, A. Patania, L. Torres (2023). XGI: A Python package for higher-order interaction networks. in Journal of Open Source Software.

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M. Lucas, I. Iacopini, T. Robiglio, A. Barrat, G. Petri (2023). Simplicially driven simple contagion. in Physical Review Research.

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S. Chowdhary, I. Iacopini, F. Battiston (2023). Quantifying human performance in chess. in Scientific Reports.

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B. Steinegger, I. Iacopini, A. S. Teixeira, A. Bracci, P. Casanova-Ferrer, A. Antonioni, E. Valdano (2022). Non-selective distribution of infectious disease prevention may outperform risk-based targeting. in Nature Communications.

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A. Barrat, G.F. de Arruda, I. Iacopini, Y. Moreno (2022). Social contagion on higher-order structures. Higher-Order Systems.

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I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Baronchelli, A. Barrat (2022). Group interactions modulate critical mass dynamics in social convention. in Communications Physics.

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G. Di Bona, E. Ubaldi, I. Iacopini, B. Monechi, V. Latora, V. Loreto (2022). Social interactions affect discovery processes. in arXiv.

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G. St-Onge, I. Iacopini, V. Latora, A. Barrat, G. Petri, A. Allard, L. Hébert-Dufresne (2022). Influential groups for seeding and sustaining nonlinear contagion in heterogeneous hypergraphs. in Communications Physics.

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F. Battiston, E. Amico, A. Barrat, G. Bianconi, G. F. de Arruda, B. Franceschiello, I. Iacopini, S. Kéfi, V. Latora, Y. Moreno, M. M. Murray, T. P. Peixoto, F. Vaccarino, G. Petri (2021). The physics of higher-order interactions in complex systems. in Nature Physics.

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T. Sigler, K. Martinus, I. Iacopini, B. Derudder, J. Loginova (2021). The structural architecture of international industry networks in the global economy. PLoS One.

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S. Chowdhary, A. Kumar, G. Cencetti, I. Iacopini, F. Battiston (2021). Simplicial contagion in temporal higher-order networks. Journal of Physics: Complexity.

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M. Batty, R. Murcio, I. Iacopini, M. Vanhoof, R. Milton (2021). London in lockdown: Mobility in the Pandemic City. .

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I. Iacopini, V. Latora (2021). On the dual nature of adoption processes in complex networks. In Frontiers in Physics.

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I. Iacopini (2021). Modelling the social dynamics of contagion and discovery using dynamical processes on complex networks. PhD Thesis.

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I. Iacopini, G. Di Bona, E. Ubaldi, V. Loreto, V. Latora (2020). Interactive discovery processes on complex networks. In Physical Review Letters.

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F. Battiston, G. Cencetti, I. Iacopini, V. Latora, M. Lucas, A. Patania, J.-G. Young, G. Petri (2020). Networks beyond pairwise interactions: structure and dynamics. In Physics Reports.

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I. Iacopini, B. Schäfer, E. Arcaute, C. Beck, V. Latora (2020). Multilayer modeling of adoption dynamics in energy demand management. in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science.

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K. Martinus, T. Sigler, I. Iacopini, B. Derudder (2019). The brokerage role of small states and territories in global corporate networks. In Growth and Change: A Journal of Urban and Regional Policy.

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V. S. Torrisi, S. Manfredi, I. Iacopini, V. Latora (2019). Creative Connectivity Project - A network based approach to understand correlations between interdisciplinary group dynamics and creative performance. E&PDE 2019.

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M. Vanhoof, A. Godoy-Lorite, R. Murcio, I. Iacopini, N. Zdanowska, J. Raimbault, R. Milton, E. Arcaute, M. Batty (2019). Using Foursquare data to reveal spatial and temporal patterns in London. NetMob 2019.

Preprint

A. Bernini, E. Blouzard, A. Bracci, P. Casanova, I. Iacopini, B. Steinegger, A. S. Teixeira, A. Antonioni, E. Valdano (2019). Evaluating the impact of PrEP on HIV and gonorrhea on a networked population of female sex workers. arXiv.

Preprint DOI

I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Barrat, V. Latora (2019). Simplicial models of social contagion. in Nature Communications.

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The team

Principal Investigators

Avatar

Iacopo Iacopini

Associate Professor

Researchers

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Leonardo Federici

PhD Student

Mattia Marasti

Master’s Student

Visitors

Guglielmo Ferranti

Visiting PhD Student

Alumni

Claudio Caprioli

Visiting PhD Student

Nicolò Fidelibus

Master’s Student

Avatar

Saumitra Kulkarni

Master’s Student

Popular Topics

Cities Complex networks Complex Systems Discoveries Epidemics Firms Heaps Higher-order HIV Hypergraphs London Mobility Multiplex networks Python Random walk Reinforcement Simplicial complex Social contagion Social dynamics Spreading

Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Associate Professor

Northeastern University London

Sep 2024 – Aug 2024 London
Network Science Institute
 
 
 
 
 

Assistant Professor

Northeastern University London

Jun 2023 – Aug 2024 London
Network Science Institute
 
 
 
 
 

JSMF Postdoctoral Fellow

Central European University

Jun 2021 – Jun 2023 Vienna
Department of Network and Data Science
 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant

Aix-Marseille Université

Oct 2020 – Mar 2021 Marseille
Centre de Physique Théorique
 
 
 
 
 

Visiting Lecturer

City, University of London

Sep 2019 – Sep 2020 London
Department of Mathematics
 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant

University College London

Mar 2019 – Sep 2020 London
Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA)
 
 
 
 
 

Teaching Fellow

Queen Mary University of London

Jan 2019 – Aug 2019 London
School of Electronic Engineering & Computer Science
 
 
 
 
 

Enrichment Doctoral Student

The Alan Turing Institute

Oct 2017 – Oct 2018 London
 
 
 
 
 

Postgraduate Research Student

Queen Mary University of London

Sep 2016 – Feb 2021 London
Complex Systems and Networks Research Group
 
 
 
 
 

Computational Support Assistant

Queen Mary University of London

Sep 2016 – Dec 2018 London
Dynamical Systems and Statistical Physics Research Group
 
 
 
 
 

Researcher

ISI Foundation

May 2016 – Sep 2016 Turin
Data Science Lab - Mathematics & Foundation of Complex Systems Group
 
 
 
 
 

Data Science Intern

United Nations - Universal Postal Union

Sep 2015 – Apr 2016 Bern

Activities

Teaching

I’ve been Visiting Lecturer at City, University of London, for the course:

  • 2019/2020 Mathematics for Economists (MA1202).

I’ve been teaching Network Science at the School of Electronic Engineering & Computer Science (QMUL):

  • 2018/2019 Network Modeling and Performance (ECS724U/P).

I’ve been Teaching Assistant for the following courses at QMUL:

  • 2016/2017 Introduction to Statistics (MTH4106/MTH4206).
  • 2016/2017 Network Modeling and Performance (ECS724U/P).

Service

Referee Activity

I’ve been a reviewer for the journals:

Nature Communications, Physical Review Letters, Communications Physics, Physical Review E, Ecology Letters, Europhysics Letters, Scientific Reports, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, Proceeding of the Royal Society A, Chaos, EPJ Data Science, PLoS One, Advances in Complex Systems, Frontiers in Physics, Chaos Solitons & Fractals, Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems, Online Social Networks and Media, EEE Control Systems Society Conference.

Scholarships, Grants & Awards

  • 2021 CSS Emerging Researcher Award, Complex Systems Society.
  • 2020 JSMF Postdoctoral Fellowship, James S. McDonnell Foundation.
  • 2019 Postgraduate Research Fund, QMUL.
  • 2017 Travel Grant for the Symposium on The Future of Urban Networks Research, Ghent University.
  • 2017 Turing PhD Enrichment Scholarship, The Alan Turing Institute.
  • 2017 Travel Grant for the Summer School on Methods for Computational Social Science, GESIS.
  • 2016 Research Studentship Queen Mary Principal’s Award, QMUL.

Contact

iacopo.iacopini[at]nulondon[dot]ac[dot]uk

  • Devon House, 58 St Katharine's Way, London, E1W 1LP
  • DM Me