Overview

Research Outputs

Research History and interests

My PhD thesis was in abstract algebra, but in 1999 I switched to the area I am best known for, the asymptotics of multivariate generating functions (with occasional forays into other areas of combinatorics). Since around 2004 I have also been interested social science applications. I have worked in (computational) social choice theory. I am also interested in the systematic design of electoral systems. More recently I started working on network science, including diffusion and learning in social networks, citation networks, and network balance. I was part of 6-person NSF project (under the Harnessing the Data Revolution program) to study the relation between brain structure (connectomes), individual behavior, and group behavior. 

Research Philosophy and Practice

I see myself more as a theorizer than a problem-solver, although perhaps the picture is not as extreme as painted by Gian-Carlo Rota. I strongly believe in trying to find general, algorithmic, principled solutions to problems, and implementing them when possible. I believe in using axioms to organize areas of study, but am critical of the overuse of the axiomatic method. My research methods are a mixture of axiomatic approaches, computer simulation, efficient algorithms, network science and data science.

 

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