| Title | : | Balancing Sparsity and Connectivity in Distributed Network Design with Random K-out Graphs |
| Speaker | : | Mansi Sood (MIT) |
| Details | : | Fri, 10 Jan, 2025 9:30 AM @ NAC2 632 |
| Abstract: | : | In several applications in distributed systems, an important design criterion is ensuring that the network is sparse, i.e., does not contain too many edges, while achieving reliable connectivity (e.g., to facilitate reliable communication or performance guarantees for distributed algorithms). A class of network models known as ‘random K-out graphs’ widely appear as a heuristic to balance connectivity and sparsity, especially in distributed settings with limited trust. However, the implications of operational constraints, such as node heterogeneity and failures on the connectivity of random K-out graphs, remain underexplored. To address this gap, we present deployable theorems to inform the choice of network parameters that guarantee reliable connectivity in regimes where nodes can be finite, heterogeneous, or unreliable. Our results underscore the usefulness of random K-out graphs as a tool for balancing sparsity and connectivity in distributed network design. Bio: Mansi Sood is a Schmidt Science Fellow at the MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems working with Devavrat Shah since Fall 2024. Her research interests span stochastic modeling, network science, learning and inference, particularly in the context of complex socio-technical systems that have an increasing grip on society and our everyday lives. Before this, she received her Ph.D in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and completed her joint B.Tech and M.Tech in Electrical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. Her work won a Best Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) ‘21, a Graduation Day Award in Information Theory and Applications and she has been twice recognized as an EECS Rising Star (MIT ‘21 and Georgia Tech ‘23). For her contributions to outreach and mentorship, she has been recognized with an Unsung Hero Award at CMU, the Advanced Graduate Ambassadorship of the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Princeton, and Excellence in Research and Mentorship at IIT Bombay. |
