Dr. Santo Fortunato stands as a preeminent scholar in network science and computational social systems, currently holding the distinguished James H. Rudy Professorship of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University's Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. As Director of the Indiana University Network Science Institute since 2018, he leads one of the world's foremost centers for interdisciplinary network research, building upon his extensive background that began with a PhD in Theoretical Particle Physics from the University of Bielefeld. His career trajectory spans prestigious institutions including the Institute for Scientific Interchange in Turin, Italy, and Aalto University in Finland, where he became the first full professor in the university's history in 2014. After initially serving as a postdoctoral researcher at Indiana University from 2005-2007, Dr. Fortunato returned to establish himself as a cornerstone of the university's growing expertise in complex systems and network science.
Dr. Fortunato's seminal contributions to network science have fundamentally shaped the field, most notably through his highly influential review article Community detection in graphs published in Physics Reports, which has become one of the most cited papers in network science literature with over 17,000 citations. His groundbreaking work on community detection algorithms has provided researchers across disciplines with essential tools for analyzing complex networks in social, biological, and technological systems, with applications ranging from understanding social dynamics to mapping information flow in digital environments. As co-author of A First Course in Network Science published by Cambridge University Press, he has created the most accessible textbook for introducing students to this rapidly evolving field, democratizing knowledge that was previously accessible only to specialists. With research published in leading journals including Nature, Science, and Physical Review Letters, his work has accumulated over 33,000 citations, demonstrating its profound impact across multiple scientific domains.
Beyond his research, Dr. Fortunato has been instrumental in building the global network science community through his founding chairmanship of the International Conference on Computational Social Science and his leadership of Networks 2021, which merged the NetSci and Sunbelt conferences into the largest gathering of network scientists in history. His commitment to advancing the field extends to mentoring the next generation of researchers and developing educational resources, including his recent Short First Course in Network Science offered through the Network Science Society in 2024. Currently, Dr. Fortunato is pioneering new investigations at the intersection of physics and artificial intelligence, exploring how statistical physics principles can illuminate the inner workings of AI systems. Recognized as a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Network Science Society, he continues to shape the future trajectory of network science while maintaining his position as one of the top-ranked scientists in his field according to the Stanford Elsevier Top 2 Scientists Ranking.
