A UAF mathematician is building better tools for understanding networks

A University of Alaska Fairbanks mathematician is developing new tools for making sense of complex networks, the kind where the connections between points carry their own information, like distance, cost, or how two things are related. A three-year, $150,000 National Science Foundation grant will fund the work.

The researcher is Youngho Yoo of the UAF Department of Mathematics and Statistics, which counts graph theory among its strengths. His project studies what mathematicians call group-labeled graphs, models of networks where each connection holds extra data rather than just linking two points. The goal, according to the award, is to build a broader theory of how these networks are structured, yielding "general tools and efficient algorithms" useful in both mathematics and computer science. The grant also funds training for graduate students.

The award, recorded Aug. 4, runs through July 2029. It arrives as Alaska institutions watch federal science funding closely: lawmakers at a recent U.S. House hearing said NSF grant awards were down 55 percent from 2024 levels, a concern given how much University of Alaska research depends on NSF money.