Baruch Barzel


Baruch Barzel is an Israeli physicist and applied mathematician at Bar-Ilan University,
a member of the Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center and of the Bar-Ilan Data Science Institute. His main research areas are statistical physics, complex systems, nonlinear dynamics and network science.
In 2013 he introduced the concept of universality in the dynamics of complex networks, showing that complex systems from different domains condense into discrete forms, or universality classes, 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 Pandemic published the alternating quarantine strategy to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 alongside continuous socioeconomic activity. The strategy was implemented by several agencies in Israel and around the world.
WWW Official Site

Academic career

Barzel completed his Ph.D. in physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
as a .
He then pursued his postdoctoral training at the Center for [Complex Network Research] at Northeastern University
and at the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Barzel is a recipient of the Racah prize and the Krill prize of the Wolf Foundation. 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
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, "", Nature 530, 307
  • U. Harush and B. Barzel, "", Nature Communications 8, 2181
  • C. Hens, U. Harush, S. Haber, R. Cohen and B. Barzel, "", Nature Physics
  • D. Meidan, N. Schulmann, R. Cohen, S. Haber, E. Yaniv, R. Sarid and B. Barzel, . Nature Communications 12, 220.
  • H. Sanhedrai, J. Gao, A. Bashan, M. Schwartz, S. Havlin and B. Barzel, . Nature Physics 18, 338.
  • C. Meena, C. Hens, S. Acharyya, S. Haber, S. Boccaletti and B. Barzel, . Nature Physics.

Public lectures and media coverage

  • Universal resilience patterns in complex networks in
  • Bar-Ilan Nitzotzot meeting 2015 ""
  • Interview on, 2019
  • , 2019
  • Universality in network dynamics in
  • Predicting the tipping point of complex systems in
  • A new framework to predict spatiotemporal signal propagation in complex networks in
  • Profile article on the Complex Network Dynamics lab in
  • Krav Mada radio lecture series in
  • Israeli experts propose radical post-corona exit strategy in
  • An alternative quarantine strategy in
  • A well-calculated proposal: mathematical proposal to fight COVID-19 and get out of the economic blockade in
More .