QNC 1501

Speaker

Alexander “Sasha” Gutfraind
Master’s from Applied Math here, PhD from Cornell)
Lecturer – Loyola University Medical Center
Adjunct R. A. Professor – U of Illinois at Chicago
Chief Health Data Scientist, Uptake Technologies

Title

Math on the frontlines : applications of complex systems methods in conflict research

Abstract

The past 15 years have been characterized by monumental conflicts including the

9/11 terrorist attacks,  the insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the recent

war with the Islamic State. Simultaneously, complex system methods and data

opened an unprecedented window into conflicts, and enabled new research into

their causes and dynamics. In this talk I will, first, discuss simple models applying

dynamical system theory to studying terrorist organizations.

I will then introduce a model of insurgencies and apply it to the Syrian civil war.

Finally, I will cover recent work on the Islamic State (IS) network in Europe,

comparing it to networks from past conflicts, such as Al-Qaida’s.

I will argue that future research of conflicts could greatly benefit from

mathematical and computational methods, especially when informed by some

of the large datasets now coming from conflict zones.