Mateusz Iskrzyński 

Mateusz Iskrzyński studies the structure of networks in complex systems ranging from ecological food webs to trade and migration networks. He wants to understand how their structure influences and is changed by transitions in these systems. 

The structure and dynamics of food webs have been thoroughly discussed but studies based upon a large statistical sample of empirical networks are still few.  As the world is facing widespread species extinctions, the question of which ecosystems are more vulnerable to such threats and why is growing urgent. By performing simulations over a large database of empirical food webs, many hypotheses about their robustness to species loss can be verified and new patterns and dependencies observed. By knowing the general relationships, one can advance the understanding of behaviour and vulnerability of any particular ecosystem in a chosen country before a detailed, focused analysis is performed.

The recent years have brought large advancements in the study of multi-layer networks. Such systems are ubiquitous in the study of global processes and challenges. What is the role of the structure of multilayer trade and migration networks in transitions triggered e.g. by an external shock? How could their adaptation be controlled and guided to limit its negative impacts?

The optimization models of adaptation of energy systems to climate change as well as the Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) also contain multi-layer networks at the core of the studied systems. Connecting and understanding the structural changes of the water and energy systems can bring new insights to the functioning of the IAMs as well as uncover some of the hidden aspects of the adaptation process.

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Funding:  IIASA Postdoctoral Program

Nationality: Polish

Program: Evolution and Ecology and Advanced Systems Analysis Programs

Dates: March 2017 - February 2019


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Last edited: 02 November 2017

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