Research profile K. (Konstantinos) Efstathiou, PhD

Research description:

My DSSC-related research is about the study of the dynamics in complex systems, such as networks of coupled oscillators. Such systems have been extensively used as models for the study of spontaneous synchronization in nature. They can describe a variety of physical and biological systems ranging from neural networks to coupled Josephson junctions and from wireless communication systems to circadian rhythms. Specifically, I am interested in how such systems synchronize and, more generally, what types of dynamics we should expect to typically observe. Moreover, I try to understand what is the role of the network topology and the type of coupling for the dynamics. In this direction I use ideas and techniques from dynamical systems theory (such as stability analysis, bifurcation theory, and symmetries). I combine this theoretical approach with extensive numerical simulations that are often necessary for understanding the dynamics of large networks and uncovering patterns.

Keywords: coupled oscillators, synchronization, dynamical systems

Websites:
Group website: http://www.math.rug.nl/dsmp/
Employee (corporate homepage): http://www.rug.nl/staff/k.efstathiou/
Personal website: http://efstathiou.gr/