Baruch Barzel (March 19, 1976) is an Israeli physicist and applied mathematician at
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
,
a member of the Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center and of the Bar-Ilan Data Science Institute. His main research areas are
statistical physics
Statistical physics is a branch of physics that evolved from a foundation of statistical mechanics, which uses methods of probability theory and statistics, and particularly the Mathematics, mathematical tools for dealing with large populations ...
,
complex systems
A complex system is a system composed of many components which may interact with each other. Examples of complex systems are Earth's global climate, organisms, the human brain, infrastructure such as power grid, transportation or communication s ...
,
nonlinear dynamics
In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and many other ...
and
network science
Network science is an academic field which studies complex networks such as telecommunication networks, computer networks, biological networks, cognitive and semantic networks, and social networks, considering distinct elements or actors repre ...
.
In 2013 he introduced the concept of
universality in the dynamics of
complex network
In the context of network theory, a complex network is a graph (network) with non-trivial topological features—features that do not occur in simple networks such as lattices or random graphs but often occur in networks representing real s ...
s, showing that complex systems from different domains condense into discrete forms, or
universality class
In statistical mechanics, a universality class is a collection of mathematical models which share a single scale invariant limit under the process of renormalization group flow. While the models within a class may differ dramatically at finite s ...
es, of dynamic behavior. In the following years, Barzel and colleagues developed a theoretical framework to predict the observed behavior of complex networked systems: their patterns of information flow; the timescales of their signal propagation; their resilience against failures and disruptions and their recoverability.
During the COVID-19 Pandemi
Barzel's lab published the alternating quarantine strategy
to mitigate the spread of
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...
alongside continuous socioeconomic activity. The strategy was implemented by several agencies in Israel and around the world.
Academic career
Barzel completed his Ph.D. in physics at the
Hebrew University
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
as
Hoffman Fellow
He then pursued his postdoctoral training at the
Center for Complex Network Research at
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...
and at the
Channing Division of Network Medicine,
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
. Barzel is a recipient of the Racah prize (2007) and the
Krill prize of the
Wolf Foundation
The Wolf Foundation is a private not-for-profit organization in Israel established in 1975 by Ricardo Wolf, a German-born Jewish Cuban inventor and former Cuban ambassador to Israel.
Ricardo Wolf
Ricardo Wolf, the founder of the Wolf Foundat ...
(2019). Barzel is also an active public lecturer on science and on Judaism, and presents a weekly corner on Jewish thought on
Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC; he, תאגיד השידור הישראלי, translit=Ta'agid HaShidur HaYisra'eli, lit=Israeli Broadcasting Corporation; ar, هيئة البث الإسرائيلي, translit=Hayyat al-Bathi al- ...
.
Dr. Barzel's research focuses on the dynamic behavior of complex networks, uncovering universal principles that govern the dynamics of diverse systems, such as disease spreading,
gene regulatory
networks, protein interactions or population dynamics.
Selected publications
*
*
*
*
*
*J. Gao, B. Barzel and A.-L. Barabási,
Universal resilience patterns in complex networks, ''Nature'' 530, 307 (2016)
*U. Harush and B. Barzel,
Dynamic patterns of information flow in complex networks, ''Nature Communications'' 8, 2181 (2017)
*C. Hens, U. Harush, S. Haber, R. Cohen and B. Barzel,
Spatiotemporal signal propagation in complex networks, ''Nature Physics'' (2019)
*D. Meidan, N. Schulmann, R. Cohen, S. Haber, E. Yaniv, R. Sarid and B. Barzel
Alternating quarantine for sustainable epidemic mitigation ''Nature Communications'' 12, 220 (2021).
*H. Sanhedrai, J. Gao, A. Bashan, M. Schwartz, S. Havlin and B. Barzel
Reviving a failed network through microscopic interventions ''Nature Physics'' 18, 338 (2022).
*C. Meena, C. Hens, S. Acharyya, S. Haber, S. Boccaletti and B. Barzel
Emergent stability in complex network dynamics ''Nature Physics'' (2023).
Public lectures and media coverage
*Universal resilience patterns in complex networks i
(Hebrew)
*Bar-Ilan Nitzotzot meeting 2015 (Hebrew)
Connecting the world in six steps
*Interview o
Channel 20 2019 (Hebrew)
Network Earth 2019
*Universality in network dynamics i
*Predicting the tipping point of complex systems i
The Munich eye
*A new framework to predict spatiotemporal signal propagation in complex networks i
*Profile article on the Complex Network Dynamics lab i
Makor Rishon(Hebrew)
*Krav Mada radio lecture series i
Galei Zahal(Hebrew)
*Israeli experts propose radical post-corona exit strategy i
Israel21*An alternative quarantine strategy i
El Economista*A well-calculated proposal: mathematical proposal to fight COVID-19 and get out of the economic blockade i
Aula MagnaMor
here
References
External links
Professional WebsiteResearch Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barzel, Baruch
Israeli physicists
Israeli mathematicians
Complex systems scientists
1976 births
Living people
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
Probability theorists
Academic staff of Bar-Ilan University