Laurent Hébert-Dufresne is Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Vermont, where he leads the Joint Lab, a collaborative research group aimed at using mathematical models and data science to tackle epidemics, climate change and misinformation. It is in this context that he recently became Director of the Master’s and PhD programs at the Vermont Complex Systems Center, as well as Director of Modeling at Translational Global Infectious Diseases Research Center.
Although based in Vermont, Laurent Hébert-Dufresne promotes Québec and francophone science through projects with ACFAS and international conferences often held in Québec. These range in topic from network science, such as NetSci 2019 in Vermont and the annual Complex Network Winter Workshop in Québec City, to related disciplines such as artificial life with ALIFE 2020 in Montréal. He is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal npj Complexity in collaboration with the Nature publishing house.
He is now organizing the NetSci 2024 conference in Québec City with his long-time colleague Antoine Allard. NetSci, the network science community’s flagship event, will bring half a thousand scientists from all horizons to Québec City to better understand the role networks play in systems as diverse as social media, artificial intelligence, neuroscience and ecology.
