Iacopo Iacopini

PhD Student

Queen Mary University of London

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 currently doing a PhD at Queen Mary University of London, where I work within the Complex Systems and Networks Research Group. My supervisors are Vito Latora (QMUL) and Elsa Arcaute (Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, UCL). I am also collaborating with the Dynamical Systems and Statistical Physics Group as part of the LoBaNet project. I spent last year at The Alan Turing Institute as part of the enrichment doctoral scheme.

Previously, I worked at the ISI Foundation in Turin within the Data Science and Mathematics & Foundation of Complex Systems groups. Before, I was 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, 2015

University of Turin
BSc in Physics, 2013

University of Bologna

Experience

January 2019 – Present

London

Teaching Fellow

Queen Mary University of London

School of Electronic Engineering & Computer Science

October 2017 – October 2018

London

Enrichment Doctoral Student

Postgraduate Research Student

Queen Mary University of London

Complex Systems and Networks Research Group

September 2016 – December 2018

London

Computational Support Assistant

Queen Mary University of London

Dynamical Systems and Statistical Physics Research Group

May 2016 – September 2016

Turin

Researcher

ISI Foundation

Data Science Lab - Mathematics & Foundation of Complex Systems Group

September 2015 – April 2016

Bern

Data Science Intern

United Nations - Universal Postal Union

Selected Publications

Simplicial models of social contagion

Complex networks have been successfully used to describe the spreading of diseases in populations of interacting individuals. Conversely, pairwise interactions are often not enough to characterize processes of social contagion, such as opinion formation or the adoption of novelties, where more complex dynamics of peer influence and reinforcement mechanisms are at work. Here we introduce a higher-order model of social contagion in which a social system is represented by a simplicial complex and the contagion can occur, with different transmission rates, not only over the links but also through interactions in groups of different sizes. Numerical simulations of the model on both empirical data and synthetic simplicial complexes highlight the emergence of novel phenomena such as a discontinuous transition induced by higher-order interactions. We show analytically that the transition is discontinuous with the formation of a bistable region where healthy and endemic states co-exist. Our results help explain why critical masses are required to initiate social changes, and contribute to the understanding of the role of higher-order interactions in complex systems.

I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Barrat, V. Latora

2018

Preprint

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 links among ideas or concepts, and an innovation corresponds to the first visit of a node. The transition matrix of the random walk depends on the network weights, while in turn the weight of an edge is reinforced by the passage of a walker. The presence of the network naturally accounts for the mechanism of the adjacent possible, and the model reproduces both the rate at which novelties emerge and the correlations among them observed empirically. We show this by using synthetic networks and by studying real data sets on the growth of knowledge in different scientific disciplines. Edge-reinforced random walks on complex topologies offer a new modeling framework for the dynamics of correlated novelties and another example of co-evolution of processes and networks.

I. Iacopini, S. Milojević, V. Latora

In Physical Review Letters, 2018

Preprint PDF DOI Press

Recent Publications

The role of tax havens and offshore financial centers in Asia-Pacific networks: evidence from firm-subsidiary connections

K. Martinus, T. Sigler, I. Iacopini, B. Derudder

PDF DOI

Simplicial models of social contagion

Complex networks have been successfully used to describe the spreading of diseases in populations of interacting individuals. …

I. Iacopini, G. Petri, A. Barrat, V. Latora

Preprint

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 Press

Activities

Teaching

I am giving lectures on Network Science within 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).

Referee Activity

I’ve been a reviewer for the journals:

Chaos, EPJ Data Science, Physical Review E, Scientific Reports, Europhysics Letters, Chaos Solitons & Fractals.

Scholarships, Grants & Awards

2017 Travel Grant for the Symposium on The Future of Urban Networks Research, Ghent University.
2017 Turing PhD Enrichment Scolarship, 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.

Conferences, Schools and Symposia

Oct 2018 2nd Network Science Workshop
London, UK.
Sep 2018 Conference on Complex Systems 2018
Thessalokini, GR.
Jun 2018 NetSci 2018 International Conference on Network Science
Paris, FR.
Feb 2018 BIFI International Conference 2018 on Complexity, Networks and Collective behaviour
Zaragoza, ES.
Sep 2017 European Symposium Series on Societal Challenges in Computational Social Science
London, UK.
Sep 2017 Symposium on The Future of Urban Networks Research
Ghent University, BE.
Jul 2017 Summer School on Methods for Computational Social Science
Sant’Antioco, IT.
Jun 2017 Cambridge Networks Day 2017
University of Cambridge, UK.
Jan 2017 Mathematics and Economics of Energy Markets
National Grid, Wokingham, UK.
Oct 2015 UN Conference on Global Addressing
UPU, Bern, CH.
Nov 2015 UN Global Conference on Trade facilitation
UPU, Bern, CH.

Contact

iacopo.iacopini
Queens Building W313, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK