School of Computer Science - Technical Workshop Series
Team Formation Problem in Social Networks Using SCAN Variant and Evolutionary Computation (1st Offering)
Presenter: Amangel Bhullar
Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Workshop Space, 4th Floor - 300 Ouellette Ave., School of Computer Science Advanced Computing Hub
Abstract:
The workshop will focus on the challenges associated with the Team Formation Problem (TFP) in Social Network Analysis (SNA). It will introduce SCAN, its variants, and how evolutionary computation techniques can enhance team formation efficiency. Participants will learn how clustering methods and optimization strategies can be applied to create effective teams in large-scale networks.
Workshop Outline:
- Introduction to Social Networks and Social Network Analysis (SNA)
- Definition and significance of social networks
- Graph representation of social networks
- Applications of SNA
- Team Formation Problem (TFP) in Social Networks
- Overview of TFP as an NP-hard problem
- Traditional approaches and their limitations
- Importance of clustering and optimization in TFP
- SCAN and Its Variants
- Introduction to SCAN (Structural Clustering Algorithm for Networks)
- Weighted SCAN (WSCAN) and its applications
- Team formation approach using WSCAN-TFP
- Evolutionary Computation in TFP
- Genetic Algorithm (GA) and its principles
- Cultural Algorithm (CA) and belief space adaptation
- Hybrid approaches combining GA and CA
- Implementation and Results
- Schema theorem and genetic representation
- Performance evaluation: communication cost, fitness function, processing time
- Comparative analysis of different approaches
- Limitations, Assumptions, and Future Work
- Key constraints in the research
- Opportunities for further development and testing
Prerequisites:
- Basic understanding of graph theory and network analysis
- Familiarity with clustering algorithms (optional)
- Interest in optimization and evolutionary computation
Biography:
Amangel Bhullar is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at the University of Windsor, specializing in artificial intelligence, focusing on knowledge representation, machine learning, social networks, and knowledge graphs. She currently serves as the President of the Graduate Student Society (GSS), where she leads initiatives to enhance graduate students' academic and social experience.
In addition to her role at GSS, Amangel is the Director of the Lancer Sport and Recreation Center (LSRC) Corporation and serves as a Member of the Board of Governors at the University of Windsor. Her leadership contributions extend further as an Ex-Officio Member of the University Senate, where she brings a student-centred perspective to university policy and governance matters.