A pioneer in the field of complex networks, Havlin receives the prestigious prize for his research into how matter behaves in different states
Physicist Shlomo Havlin, an external faculty member at the Complexity Science Hub, receives today the Bakhuis Roozeboom Medal, in a ceremony at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, in Amsterdam. The prize recognizes scientists who contribute significantly to phase theory.
“Havlin addresses a broad spectrum of issues within the field. He and his team demonstrated, for example, that complex networks, such as epidemics or traffic networks, often follow mathematical patterns that repeat on different scales. He also developed the first approach to a theory that describes the behaviour of liquids, gases or electricity in materials with an unpredictable structure through the formation of connections, i.e. the ‘percolation theory’,” informs the Academy.
According to the institution, “Havlin’s research makes clear how complex networks mutually influence each other. A concept often referred to as ‘networks of networks’. It highlights, for example, how failures in one network can lead to a chain reaction of failures in other interconnected systems. This knowledge has significant implications for various aspects of our daily lives, such as the impact of a power failure on our internet and other communication systems.”
ABOUT SHLOMO HAVLIN
Havlin is a professor in the Department of Physics at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Over the course of his career, he published hundreds of widely cited scientific papers.
Among the international institutions that recognized his research and teaching achievements are: the Landau Prize for outstanding Research; the Humboldt Senior Scientist Award; the Nicholson Medal of the American Physical Society; the Weizmann Prize; the Lilienfeld Prize for “a most outstanding contribution to physics” of the American Physical Society; the Rothschild Prize in Physical and Chemical Sciences; the Order of the Star of Italy by the President of Italy; and the Israel Prize in Physics and Chemistry.
THE BAKHUIS ROOZEBOOM MEDAL
The Bakhuis Roozeboom Medal was established in 1911 by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The award is presented every year to a researcher in the Netherlands or abroad who has made a significant contribution to phase theory.
