The institute totals at about $7 million and is meant to bring together the University’s top minds to research the networks that are the basis of large-scale systems like the environment, economics and human health, according to an IU press release.
“Today, more than ever before, exploring the connections and relationships among our most complex networks – from the biological to the economic, political and social – is paramount to solving humankind’s most critical and challenging questions,” Jorge José, IU vice president for research, said in the release.
Complex networks are at the center of the socially, economically and technologically interconnected planet, according to the University.
Both their connectivity and dynamics support almost all aspects of how these systems function.
Cancer, schizophrenia, the spread of rumors, innovations and social unrest are only a few topics in which these networks can be associated, according to the ?University.
Bernice Pescosolido, a distinguished professor in the department of sociology; Olaf Sporns, distinguished professor for the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Andrew Saykin , a professor of radiology and imaging sciences and director of the Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center at the IU School of Medicine, serve as founding co-directors of the institute.
“IUNI will provide novel concepts, tools and training to address tomorrow’s challenges,” Saykin said in the release. “We appreciate the university’s vision in supporting team science to elucidate the complex networks that comprise the human genome, brain interconnectivity, health care systems and society, creating a truly exciting and unprecedented opportunity.”
As of now, faculty from 26 schools, departments and centers have participated in the development of the institute or are interested in being a part of collaborative research through IUNI, according to the University.
“Through the formation of this new interdisciplinary, university-wide institute, which will reflect all of the major sectors of scientific research and will be supported by the university’s robust technological infrastructure, Indiana University has positioned itself to become the leading global center for understanding the complicated structure and evolving dynamics of the systems that drive our society,” José said in the release.
The IUNI is currently a three-year initiative but has the potential to be renewed for another three years.
In the institute, affiliated researchers from the backgrounds of medicine, the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities will represent multiple campuses.
All IUNI researchers will also be required to be collaborative and reflect the institute itself, according ?to IU.
There are currently four research hubs that are at the core of the institute: Health and Health Care, Network Neuroscience, Science of Science and Social Network Science.
The initiative is supported by IU President Michael McRobbie’s office, the offices of Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel and Vice President for Research Jorge José, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Informatics and Computing and the School of Medicine, according to the University.
“This new institute recognizes that we are all part of networks and that these networks, ever evolving and changing, are inherently complex systems that present challenges to scientists across fields,” Robel said in the release. “With a contingent of over 100 scientists spanning all disciplines, the ties among network science researchers that already exist in the IU system are ripe for encouragement, with many new ones inevitable through support of IUNI.”
Kathrine Schulze
