Robustness, Optimization, and Architectures

This paper will review recent progress on developing a unified theory for complex networks from biological systems and physics to engineering and technology. Insights into what the potential universal laws, architecture, and organizational principles are can be drawn from three converging research themes: growing attention to complexity and robustness in systems biology, layering and organization in network technology, and new mathematical frameworks for the study of complex networks. We will illustrate how tools in robust control theory and optimization can be integrated towards such unified theory by focusing on their applications in biology, physics, network design, and electric grid.