Short Course on Random Graphs and Wireless Communication Networks

As networked systems become more complex, mathematicians and engineers will need to draw from a more diverse background and set of tools to analyse and design them. For this reason, Prof. Justin Coon (Department of Engineering Science, Oxford University) and Prof. Carl Dettmann (School of Mathematics, Bristol University) have developed a two-day short course to educate graduate students, postdocs and practicing engineers in the nuances of network theory and, in particular, how network analysis and design should be approached in the context of wireless applications. The emphasis of this course is on spatial networks, i.e., spatial and geometric effects are considered, thus facilitating a study of networks from a physical layer perspective.

The course took place during 5–6 September, 2016 at Oriel College in Oxford. The syllabus covered a range of fundamental and applied topics. The lecture notes and slides can be found below.

• An Introduction to Random Graph Theory and Network Science
• Random Graph Properties
• Pair Connection Functions
• Modelling and Analysis of Ad Hoc
• Introduction to Stochastic Geometry and Point Processes
• System Level Analysis of Cellular Networks
• Incorporating Secrecy and Trust into Network Analysis
• Mobility

1st Symposium on Spatial Networks

Oxford University hosted a two-day symposium focused on spatial networks from 7-8 September, 2016. The symposium brought together experts from the mathematics, physics and engineering communities working on elements of graph theory, complex networks, information theory and communication theory. Keynote talks were given by the following leading experts (in alphabetical order):

• Marc Barthélemy, CEA Institut de Physique Théorique
• Bartek Błaszczyszyn, INRIA-ENS
• Anthony Bonato, Ryerson University
• Marco Di Renzo, CNRS-SUPÉLEC-University of Paris-Sud XI
• Mark Newman, University of Michigan

This was the first of a series of multi-disciplinary symposia that will take place over the next three years. This event was hosted at Oriel College (the fifth oldest college in Oxford, founded in 1326).