ABSTRACT

Technological networks are essential to modern society, and the security of these networks depends in large part on their topology and dynamics. How do these properties scale with network size? Are there general principles underlying the growth and structure of technological networks? If such organizing principles exist, what do they tell us about security, efficiency, and stability as the networks grow? The talk explores these questions in the context of three example computational networks: Social networks on the Internet, the Border Gateway Protocol, and clock tree networks on computer chips.

BIOGRAPHY

Stephanie Forrest is Professor and Chairman of Computer Science at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Professor Forrest received the Ph.D. in Computer and Communication Sciences from the University of Michigan (1985). Before joining UNM in 1990 she worked for Teknowledge Inc. and was a Director's Fellow at the Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory. She is currently a member of the Santa Fe Institute Science Board and served as SFI's Interim Vice President (2000-2001). Her research interests are in adaptive systems, including genetic algorithms, computational immunology, biological modeling, and computer security.