Looping Network Meetings
#66 March 31, 2025
Monday 15:00 (Paris/Warsaw time)
Julius Bier Kirkegaard (University of Copenhagen)
Structure from Optimality in Transport Networks Using Differentiable Programming
Abstract:
Biological transport networks optimize energy dissipation and efficiency, shaping structures like leaf venation and vascular systems. In this talk, I will show how differentiable programming offers a simple yet powerful framework for optimization beyond traditional settings. I will present two examples: first, how jointly optimizing edge capacities and node positions enhances power efficiency in leaf venation; and second, how optimizing for transport time, rather than dissipation, provides insight into the hierarchical flow patterns of pancreatic islet vasculature. These results illustrate how optimization principles can drive the emergence of biological transport networks.
Image source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.00692
Head image credits (from top left):
(1) Corentin Bisot and Loreto Oyarte Galvez,
(2) Claire Lagesse,
(3) Stéphane Douady,
(4) Stanisław Żukowski,
(5) Przemysław Prusinkiewicz,
(6) Andrea Perna,
(7) John Shaw (Google Earth),
(8) Justin Tauber,
(9) Marc Durand.
Contact: s.zukowski [at] uw.edu.pl