Nicole Abaid

My research is based in dynamical systems and control theory, with a focus on multi-agent systems and their collective behavior. In this context, I am interested in biologically-inspired mathematical modeling, studying models from both analytical and numerical perspectives, and developing applications informed by the results, such as robotic systems inspired by animal swarms and brain network control systems.

Much of my recent work tackles modeling of collective behavior in animal groups, which has included the motion of bats in flight and collective sensing through shared sonar within robotic swarms.

My work uses a wide range of methods, including: agent-based models which can be studied through numerical simulation; network models whose salient characteristics can be computed analytically; and data-driven analyses with which hypotheses on interaction network structures can be statistically tested.