Joint ICTP-SISSA Colloquium: Alessandro Vespignani

ICTP was pleased to welcome Dr. Alessandro Vespignani for a Joint ICTP-SISSA Colloquium particularly relevant to the current pandemic: “Computational Epidemiology at the time of COVID-19.” The colloquium was held online on Wednesday, 6 May, 2020. A recording of the talk can be viewed on ICTP’s Youtube channel. 

Dr. Vespignani is the Director of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University, USA, as well as the Sternberg Family Distinguished University Professor with interdisciplinary appointments in the College of Computer and Information Science, College of Science, and the Bouvé College of Health Sciences. His research interests include complex systems and networks, and the data-driven computational modeling of epidemics. The Colloquium will address the challenges of using models to forecast infectious disease threats, as tools for policy making and public health plans. 

Abstract: The data science revolution is finally enabling the development of large-scale data-driven models that provide real- or near-real-time forecasts and risk analysis for infectious disease threats. These models also provide rationales and quantitative analysis to support policy making decisions and intervention plans. At the same time, the non-incremental advance of the field presents a broad range challenges: algorithmic (multiscale constitutive equations, scalability, parallelization), real time integration of novel digital data stream (social networks, participatory platform, human mobility etc.). I will review and discuss recent results and challenges in the area, and focus on ongoing work aimed at responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.