My research is centered around the study of complex networked systems in which randomness plays a crucial role. More specifically, I study dynamics and rare events in networks affected by uncertainty, drawing motivation from real-world applications in power systems. My work lies mostly in the area of applied probability but has deep ramifications in areas as diverse as operations research, graph theory, and optimization.
My long-term goal as a researcher is twofold. First, I aim to quantify and analyze the randomness emerging in these complex systems using both rigorous mathematical tools and data-driven learning methods. Second, I plan to develop adaptive algorithms and reinforcement learning control strategies to mitigate the impact of high-impact, low-probability events and enhance network robustness.
As the climate crisis exacerbates the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, my research aims to develop a novel and rigorous mathematical understanding of power systems’ resilience against such phenomena, which naturally exhibit pronounced spatial and temporal correlations.
More broadly, I am interested in stochastic dynamics on networks, especially when a non-trivial interplay emerges between the network structure and the system’s randomness, a setting where applied probability, learning, and optimization naturally meet.
For the latest updates, visit my personal webpage https://alessandrozocca.github.io/
Expertise
Power systems modeling, network optimization, stochastic models, reinforcement learning, rare-events analysis, Markov Chain Monte-Carlo methods, operations research, applied probability.
Education and academic employment
- Oct 2019 - present: assistant professor in applied mathematics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Sep 2017 - Sep 2019: postdoctoral scholar at California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, USA)
- Dec 2017 - Sep 2019: affiliated postdoctoral fellow at Resnick Sustainability Institute (Pasadena, USA)
- Jan 2016 - Aug 2017: postdoctoral scholar at CWI Amsterdam
- Sep 2011 - Dec 2015: PhD student in Mathematics, Eindhoven University of Technology
- Sep 2010 - Jul 2011: Master of Advanced Studies (Part III) in Mathematics, University of Cambridge (UK), with merit
- Sep 2007 - Jul 2010: B.Sc. in Mathematics, Università degli Studi di Padova (IT), 110/110 cum laude
Grants
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2015 Applied Probability Trust award for the best PhD thesis in applied probability
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2017 NWO Rubicon grant (euro 135.000, 2 years of postdoc funding, ref. # 680.50.1529) Project: “Renewables and uncertainty in future power systems: Mathematical challenges and solutions”
