Projects

Network analysis and module detection

What can really be inferred from communities unfold by modularity-based algorithms? A broad and systematic characterization of the theoretical and practical performance of modularity contradicts the widely held assumption that the modularity function typically exhibits a clear global optimum. This implies that (i) modules identified via modularity maximization are not unique and should therefore be interpreted with extreme caution, and (ii) even moderate differences in modularity scores are meaningless.
In collaboration with Aaron Clauset and Ben Good

Quantifying the Stability of Society

Is there such a thing as a 'poverty trap'? Logistic classifiers applied on communication and census data point to a new mechanism for poverty that relates to the persistence of relationships. This analysis shows that economic exchanges flow primarily through these persistent edges and the inability to maintain these ties can prevent upward economic mobility
In collaboration with Nathan Eagle and Aaron Clauset

    Related publications:

    • Stability in society: Parameters for the persistence of social networks, Master’s thesis, Université catholique de Louvain, 2009.

Modeling the Dynamics of Urbanization on Social Support Networks

What is attracting migrants to urban areas within the developing world? Using 4 years of movement and communication data, it is possible to model the reinforcing social mechanisms that could explain the recent rapid growth of urban areas.
In collaboration with Nathan Eagle and Luís M.A. Bettencourt

Privacy preserving personal data storage

In a world where sensors, data storage and processing power are too cheap to meter how do you ensure that users can realize the full value of their data while protecting their privacy? Relying on the concept of sufficient statistics as well as on web-technologies such as xml and json, our system provides users with intuitive ways of managing their personal data while allowing companies to offer innovative data-enabled services and products. A fully working prototype has been presented at the World Economic Forum 2011 in Davos.

The system is based on the Friends and Family software developped at the MIT Media Lab and on the Higgins Identity Framework.
In collaboration with Wei Pan, Sandy Pentland and the Harvard Berkman Center