Control of Complex Networked Systems

Lecturer: Prof. Mario di Bernardo, Dept. of Engineering Mathematics, The University of Bristol, and Dept. of Computer Science and Systems Theory, The University of Naples Federico II

Abstract: The course is aimed at introducing the emerging area of controlling the collective behaviour of  complex dynamical systems with particular attention to complex networked systems. These consist of many interacting dynamical agents communicating over a network of complex interconnections. After introducing the problem and its motivation,  controllability and synchronizability of complex networks will be discussed. Attention will then be focussed on developing innovative decentralized adaptive and evolving control strategies to steer the collective behaviour of the network of interest. Convergence analysis will be introduced to characterize the asymptotic behaviour of the network and some advanced topics from nonlinear control theory will be presented based on the use of incremental tools and contraction theory. Finally, the theoretical results will be illustrated via a set of representative examples from Engineering and the Life Sciences.

Outline of the course syllabus:
Introduction and motivation
Evolving Dynamical Networks
Synchronization and Control of Complex Networks
An adaptive approach for distributed gain adaptation
Network Topological Control
Convergence Analysis (Lyapunov-based, contraction theory)
Emergent topologies
Applications to Engineering and Life Sciences

Schedule:

Tuesday,  18th September 2012: 9:30h - 12:30h
Wednesday,  19th September 2012: 9:30h - 12:30h
Thursday,  20th September 2012: 9:30h - 13:30h

Location: Seminar room of the Institute of Industrial and Control Engineering (IOC - ETSEIB building, 11th floor - Av. Diagonal, 647 - 08028 Barcelona)

Registration: free - Confirmation of attendance to Josep M. Olm is kindly requested

Additional information: the course is organised within the Master in Automatic Control and Robotics of the Dept. of Automatic Control and the Institute of Industrial and Control Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, and funded by the spanish Ministerio de Educación

Materials:

M. Newman, "The structure and function of complex networks", SIAM Review, vol. 45(2) 2003, pp. 167-256.
Preprint: arXiv:cond-mat/0303516