Topic：Scalable Analysis and Control of Boolean Networks

Speaker：Dr. Jun Pang，University of luxembourg

Date：November 14， 2019
Time：14：00
Venue：Room A505, Teaching Building, Main Campus

Abstract：Computational modelling plays a prominent role in providinga system-level understanding of processes that take place in a livingcell. However, it faces significant challenges when modelingrealistic biological systems due to the size of the state-space thatneeds to be considered. Hence, profound understanding of biologicalprocesses asks for the development of new methods that would providemeans for formal analysis and reasoning about large systems. In thistalk, I will present (1) a scalable method for attractor detection inBoolean networks (BNs), which is the first efficient approach that candeal with large asynchronous BNs with hundreds of nodes; and (2)several efficient reprogramming methods to derive optimal controlstrategies for driving large BNs from a source attractor to a targetattractor, which can have important applications in the study ofsystemic diseases.

Introduction to speaker：Dr. Jun Pang has been a senior researcher with the Computer Scienceand Communications research unit of the University of Luxembourg since2008. He received his PhD degree in computer science from FreeUniversity Amsterdam in 2004, based on research performed at CWIAmsterdam. His main research interests lie in the areas of formalmethods, social media mining, security and privacy, and computationalsystems biology. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, andhe has the full authorisation to direct research and supervise PhDstudents from the University of Luxembourg. He has published morethan 170 publications in international competitive conferences andprestige journals, and won several best & outstanding paper awards.He is now serving as an editorial board member of severalinternational journals.