Lines of technology representing network systems
Research_

Network systems

Enabling resilient operation of large-scale networks
We’re developing scalable and secure solutions for complex systems with decentralised data flows by utilising control theory and optimisation, computational complexity and stochastic decision making.

The next generation of technologies for information, energy distribution, transportation, manufacturing, and other critical infrastructures will be organised as intelligent network systems involving geographically distributed, but dynamically interconnected, sensing and control units.

Our research examines the structural and functional aspects of multiple genres of network systems that arise from engineering, social networks, and even quantum information processing.

We’re uncovering the hidden privacy and security risks accompanying the integration of cyber, physical, and social components in emerging applications such as intelligent transportation and smart grids.

Our research outputs have impact on:

  • understanding the role of adversaries and biases in social opinion dynamics
  • developing fundamental distributed control and computation algorithms
  • designing novel privacy-protection mechanisms for distributed optimisation
  • advancing efficiency and scalability for quantum information processing.

Our expert: Dr Guodong Shi

Our collaborators: Professor Claudio Altafini (Linkoping University, Sweden), Professor John Baras (University of Maryland, USA), Professor Karl Henrik Johansson (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden) and Dr Jochen Trumpf (Australian National University)

New technologies such as online recommendations, smart grids, and cyber-physical systems are becoming an integral component of infrastructure. These are all operated as network systems with interconnected functioning units (agents) whereby cooperative and adversarial agent relations often coexist.

This project contributes directly to the safe and robust operation of these systems by developing theories and algorithms for control and identification over them.

Our experts: Professor Ian Manchester, Professor Eduardo Nebot, Associate Professor Gregor Verbic, Dr Guodong Shi

Our collaborator: Professor Karl Henrik Johansson (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)

It is widely accepted that smart infrastructure technologies are essential for dealing with the rapid growth and increasing diversity of modern energy and transportation networks. However, these systems require the sharing of data which in turn raises concerns over privacy. 

We're developing privacy protection algorithms for intelligent systems with the intention of creating increased trust and wider uptake of smart technologies, especially in power and transportation infrastructure which are so critical for the economy.