DSG Group
Distributed Systems and Data Science Group
The Distributed Systems and Data Science Group (DSG) performs research in several topics in the broad area of computer systems and data science. The overarching goal of our research is to improve the abstractions, mechanisms and techniques that are used for building distributed and concurrent applications, so that these applications become more robust, more secure, and perform better. The motivation for our research is to empower individual people and collectives with distributed computing services, programming models and systems that mask the complexity of the myriad of interrelated software, computing and communication elements and their complex interactions in a large, diverse and changing environment. Active research areas of the group are the following ones:
Edge Computing and Machine Learning
Edge computing is a new paradigm in which the resources of a small data center are placed at the edge of the Internet, in close proximity to mobile devices, sensors, and end users. Terms such as “micro-clouds”, “fog” or “cloudlets” have been used in the literature to refer to these small, edge-located data centers. In this research thread, we analyze the role of edge computing and AI in the cyber-human evolution, and identify challenges that edge computing systems will consequently be faced with. This includes the following topics:
– resource allocation in Edge & Fog computing
– machine learning and real-time analytics at the edge
– information-centric networing (ICN) at the edge clouds
Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies
Fintech technology, such as distributed ledgers, blockchain, smart contracts for trust, digital currencies, token payments allow to implement economic compensation mechanisms for the exchange of value. In this thread we are working in the following topics:
– blockchain interoprability, governance, scalability and performance
– payment systems using blockchain technology
– DLT/blockchain applications in areas such as IoT, logistics, and health
QoS in Wireless Mesh Networks
In a Wireless Mesh Network, the network connection is spread out among dozens or even hundreds of wireless mesh nodes that “talk” to each other to share the network connection across a large area. In this thread we are working in the following topics:
– Micro-cloud QoS in wireless mesh networks
– Service deployment and placement in wiress mesh networks