Unexpected Complex Systems : Time Series and Epidemic Disease Dynamics on Networks

Abstract:

Complex Systems are everywhere - where-ever there is a large number of interacting parts where the behaviour of the entire system is governed by the manner of the interactions. Computers on the Internet, neurones in the human brain, social interactions between people, and the biochemical processes within a single cell are all examples.  However, complex systems may also arise in more abstract and often dynamical settings - either from a time series recording of a dynamical system (where the complex system consists of distinct states of the chaotic system), or from sequences of notes in a musical composition. In this talk I will describe several such situations and show how the methods of complex systems research can be applied to extract useful information from such systems.