IIASA Postdoctoral Scholars 2015

Every year IIASA provides full funding for several postdoctoral researchers. In 2015, eleven early-career researchers benefited from this, along with three postdoctoral scholars who worked on special projects within the Evolution and Ecology Program (EEP). These scientists get the chance to work in a rich international, interdisciplinary environment with access to the worldwide network of IIASA collaborators.

Postdoc students

Postdoc students

In 2015 a new post-doctoral fellowship fund was announced, set up in honor of former IIASA Director Peter Engel de Jánosi. The million dollar target of a fundraising campaign at IIASA had been reached, providing for ten annual fellowships.

Below, short outlines of the work of the postdoctoral researchers during the year are provided. Their work spans diverse topics, from diffusion processes in networks to the evolution of cooperation.

The information is provided to give an idea of the contribution made by postdoctoral research in 2015 to the institute's overall work. Note, however, that all the work is ongoing and may be subject to revision.

Behavioral Equilibrium for Infinitely Repeated Games

Artem Baklanov of the Advanced Systems Analysis Program is analyzing iterated social dilemmas that will help reveal features of stability of interactions, thereby helping individuals learn, though interaction, how to cope with behavioral uncertainty, understand the interests of others, and adapt to changing social environments. More

Lessons from the Forest Game: Cooperation under Risk and Uncertainty

Peter Bednarik, of the Evolution and Ecology and Risk, Policy and Vulnerability programs, designed a computer game based on the forestry sector which can be used to investigate the conditions under which a “tragedy of the commons” would be avoided. More

Modelling host-associated microbiome dynamics and investigating systemic risk in investment dilemmas

Gergely Boza, of the Evolution and Ecology Program, is working on two projects; the first examining the strategies plants use to influence microorganisms inhabiting their root systems and the second focusing on evolution and stability of human cooperative behavior. More

Global modeling of wood biomass supply costs in G4M and GLOBIOM

Fulvio Di Fulvio, of the Ecosystems Services and Management Program, aims to map global forest resources and calculate the costs of supplying wood biomass for both material and energy uses. More

Analyzing governance conditions and network characteristics for integrated watershed management

Adam French, of the Advanced Systems Analysis and Risk, Policy and Vulnerability programs, is examining the potential for watersheds in the water-stressed Global South to switch to Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), an integrated, multi-sectoral form of water governance. More

Abstract Algebraic Tools for Systems Analysis

Daniel Jessie of the Advanced Systems Analysis Program is working to introduce a new mathematical approach to understanding the nature of dynamical network processes where standard mathematical tools can only provide analytical solutions in the simplest cases. More

Comparative approaches to environmental governance of transboundary water resources along the USA-Mexico border

Luzma Fabiola Nava Jiménez, of the Water Program, is examining the water governance regime in river basins which cross the USA/Mexico border. The results show that in order to improve water resources sustainability and management both countries need to agree to adapt the water resource regimes. More

Modeling soil carbon and nitrogen cycling based on microbial ecology

Christina Kaiser is working in the Evolution and Ecology Program using a computer model that she developed and tested herself which simulates decomposing litter or soil at microbial-relevant scales to understand mechanisms emerging from complex microbial interactions at the microscale. More

Stability and complexity of adaptive ecological networks

Pietro Landi of the Evolution and Ecology Program is studying the effect of the adaptive behavior of single individuals in ecosystems and societies on biodiversity conservation and the sustainable management of fisheries. More

Social and Environmental Inequalities Approached in the Rural World

Luciano Mendes, of the Ecosystem Services & Management and Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollution programs, has embarked on two projects linked to reducing agricultural pollution and optimizing resource use on farms. More

Improving the efficiency of citizen science for land-cover mapping applications

Carl Salk, of the Ecosystem Services and Management Program, assessed the accuracy of volunteers responses used for land-cover identification, finding that the majority vote does not always give the correct classification. Citizen science games that include an element of training may improve the situation. More

The interplay between the formation of cooperative groups and the evolution of cooperation

Henrik Sjödin, of the Evolution and Ecology Program, is using mathematical models to show how migration between groups can transform simple, non-cooperative communities into highly cooperative ones. The results may help improve governance of common goods. More

Dynamics and control of large-scale networks

Matthias Wildemeersch, of the Advanced Systems Analysis and Ecosystems Services and Management programs, used systems analysis to examine two very different issues, the analysis and control of migration within an economic union, and understanding insect outbreaks to aid forest management strategies. More

Ultra-low fertility in East Asia: quantum effect or tempo effect?

Sam Hyun Yoo, of the World Population Program, is calculating fertility projections for South Korea over the next two decades to assess the effects of delayed childbearing and a reduced number of births per woman. More


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Last edited: 08 February 2016

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