Abstract: Multiplex networks offer a robust framework to analyze the dynamics of complex systems that involve multiple types of interactions and many interacting subsystems that differ in their intrinsic dynamics. In this talk, Dr. Ambika will demonstrate the emergence of a variety of spatiotemporal patterns in such dynamical systems. Some of the interesting phenomena are partially synchronized states like amplitude chimera and chimera death, oscillation suppressed states like inhomogeneous or homogeneous steady states, explosive synchronization, and the sudden transitions or tipping induced by multiplexing, etc. She will indicate how the synchronized oscillations can be restored in such cases by tuning the dynamical time scales of the system and how directionality in interlayer coupling facilitates relay synchronization, leading to amplification in the two response layers via the central drive layer in a three-layer multiplex network. In this context, the dynamics of the response layers can be controlled either by adjusting the strength of the interlayer coupling or by tuning the dynamical time scale of the drive layer. This model can be applied to various systems like neuronal networks, power grids, social networks etc where dissimilar time scales or interactions are natural and prevalent.

​

Bio: Prof. G. Ambika is currently an honorary professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram. She is a visiting associate at the Inter- University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune (since 1995). Currently, she is also serving as an academic consultant in India for the University of Melbourne. Earlier, she served as a professor of physics and dean of academics at IISER Pune and IISER Tirupati. Her research interests are in the areas of complex systems and nonlinear dynamics, complexity measures from data, and dynamics on complex networks. As a recognition of her contributions, she is currently an editorial board member of Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society A, London, and The European Physical Journal Special Topics (EPJST), Vice President of the Society for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (SoNCoS), India. Prof. Ambika has been chosen as an awardee of the NSC 2025 C. S. Hsu Award for distinguished scholars in nonlinear dynamics and control.