Ben Ye

Ben Ye

School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

I am interested in how networks and control theory can be used to understand and shape our interconnected world. My research addresses both theoretical questions and real-world problems related to complex networks and their dynamics, with main applications to social networks and systems, epidemic spreading on networks, and control of multi-agent systems. I employ both deterministic and stochastic models, using analytical, computational and data-driven methods from a range of mathematical fields including systems and control theory, game theory, dynamical systems, and network science.

For social networks and systems, I use network and agent-based models to study how person-to-person interactions shape population-level phenomena including opinion formation and consensus, collective decision-making, protest movements, social diffusion, evolution of social norms and conventions, cultural dynamics, and information spreading. I am interested in identifying conditions for when different phenomena occur (e.g. when people's opinions reach a consensus or become locked in disagreement), and influencing and shaping the phenomena (e.g. how to better promote the diffusion and adoption of pro-environmental behaviour).

For epidemics, I use mathematical models to study how infectious diseases spread through contact and travel networks. I am interested in identifying conditions for when outbreaks are going to occur, and establishing the role of the network structure in determining these conditions. More recently, I have been exploring different dynamic and time-varying methods, developed using feedback principles from control theory, to suppress and eliminate spreading in the network.

Brief bio: I received the B.E. degree (with First Class Honours) in mechanical engineering from the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand in 2013. My Ph.D. degree in engineering at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia was completed in 2018 under the supervision of Emeritus Professor Brian D. O. Anderson, AC. From August 2018 - February 2020, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Netherlands, with Professor Ming Cao (Networks and Robotics). I joined Curtin University, Australia, in March 2020, as a Senior Research Fellow. I was appointed as a Western Australian Premier's Early to Mid-Career (EMC) Fellow from 2021 - 2025, with the Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science. In April 2025, I joined the University of Adelaide as a Senior Lecturer.

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2025 Corsin, J., Zino, L., & Ye, M. (2025). An evidence-accumulating drift–diffusion model of competing information spread on networks. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals, 192, 14 pages.
    DOI
    2025 Walsh, L., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Sun, Z. (2025). Decentralised adaptive-gain control for eliminating epidemic spreading on networks. Automatica, 174, 14 pages.
    DOI Scopus1
    2024 Mlakar, Z., Bolderdijk, J. W., Risselada, H., Fennis, B. M., Ye, M., Zino, L., & Cao, M. (2024). Social Tipping Games: Experimental Paradigms for Studying Consumer Movements. JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR CONSUMER RESEARCH, 9(4), 427-440.
    DOI
    2024 Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., Janson, A., Gracy, S., & Johansson, K. H. (2024). Competitive epidemic networks with multiple survival-of-the-fittest outcomes. Systems and Control Letters, 193, 10 pages.
    DOI
    2024 Gracy, S., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Uribe, C. A. (2024). Towards Understanding the Endemic Behavior of a Competitive Tri-virus SIS Networked Model. SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 23(2), 1372-1410.
    DOI Scopus2
    2024 Ye, M., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2024). Rate of Convergence to the Disease Free Equilibrium for Multi-Population SIS Networks in the Critical Case. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 8, 436-441.
    DOI
    2024 Hoffmann, T., Ye, M., Zino, L., Cao, M., Rauws, W., & Bolderdijk, J. W. (2024). Overcoming inaction: An agent-based modelling study of social interventions that promote systematic pro-environmental change. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 94, 15 pages.
    DOI Scopus3
    2024 Gao, T., Zino, L., & Ye, M. (2024). Effect of Network Structure and Committed Minority Placement in Promoting Social Diffusion. IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 11(2), 2326-2339.
    DOI Scopus2
    2024 Zino, L., Ye, M., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2024). Modeling and analyzing competitive epidemic diseases with partial and waning virus-specific and cross-immunity. IFAC Journal of Systems and Control, 28, 13 pages.
    DOI
    2023 Xia, W., Liang, H., & Ye, M. (2023). Asynchronous Expressed and Private Opinion Dynamics on Influence Networks. IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, 10(2), 544-555.
    DOI Scopus8
    2023 Ye, M., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2023). Competitive Epidemic Spreading Over Networks. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 7, 545-552.
    DOI Scopus11
    2023 Aghbolagh, H. D., Ye, M., Zino, L., Chen, Z., & Cao, M. (2023). Coevolutionary Dynamics of Actions and Opinions in Social Networks. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 68(12), 7708-7723.
    DOI Scopus14
    2023 Anderson, B. D. O., & Ye, M. (2023). Equilibria Analysis of a Networked Bivirus Epidemic Model Using Poincaré–Hopf and Manifold Theory*. SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 22(4), 2856-2889.
    DOI Scopus8
    2023 Zaidi, Z., Ye, M., Samon, F., Jama, A., Gopalakrishnan, B., Gu, C., . . . Kashima, Y. (2023). Topics in Antivax and Provax Discourse: Yearlong Synoptic Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Tweets. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, 23 pages.
    DOI Scopus5 Europe PMC3
    2022 Zino, L., Ye, M., & Cao, M. (2022). Facilitating innovation diffusion in social networks using dynamic norms. PNAS Nexus, 1(5), 9 pages.
    DOI Scopus8 Europe PMC2
    2022 Frieswijk, K., Zino, L., Ye, M., Rizzo, A., & Cao, M. (2022). A Mean-Field Analysis of a Network Behavioral-Epidemic Model. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 6, 2533-2538.
    DOI Scopus20
    2022 Ye, M., Liu, J., Anderson, B. D. O., & Cao, M. (2022). Applications of the Poincaré-Hopf Theorem: Epidemic Models and Lotka-Volterra Systems. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 67(4), 1609-1624.
    DOI Scopus17
    2022 Mengbin, Y. E., Anderson, B. D. O., & Liu, J. I. (2022). CONVERGENCE and EQUILIBRIA ANALYSIS of A NETWORKED BIVIRUS EPIDEMIC MODEL<sup>∗</sup>. SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization, 60(2), S323-S346.
    DOI Scopus21
    2021 Ye, M., Zino, L., Mlakar, Ž., Bolderdijk, J. W., Risselada, H., Fennis, B. M., & Cao, M. (2021). Collective patterns of social diffusion are shaped by individual inertia and trend-seeking. Nature Communications, 12(1), 12 pages.
    DOI Scopus34 Europe PMC10
    2021 Anderson, B. D. O., & Ye, M. (2021). Mathematical Models of Self-Appraisal in Social Networks. Journal of Systems Science and Complexity, 34(5), 1604-1633.
    DOI Scopus2
    2021 Ye, M., Zino, L., Rizzo, A., & Cao, M. (2021). Game-theoretic modeling of collective decision making during epidemics. Physical Review E, 104(2), 9 pages.
    DOI Scopus40 Europe PMC8
    2020 Zino, L., Ye, M., & Cao, M. (2020). A two-layer model for coevolving opinion dynamics and collective decision-making in complex social systems. Chaos, 30(8), 14 pages.
    DOI Scopus42 Europe PMC9
    2020 Anderson, B. D. O., & Ye, M. (2020). Extrema without convexity and stability without Lyapunov. Communications in Information and Systems, 20(3), 253-281.
    DOI Scopus2
    2020 Ye, M., Trinh, M. H., Lim, Y. H., Anderson, B. D. O., & Ahn, H. S. (2020). Continuous-time opinion dynamics on multiple interdependent topics. Automatica, 115, 10 pages.
    DOI Scopus48
    2020 Xia, W., Ye, M., Liu, J., Cao, M., & Sun, X. M. (2020). Analysis of a nonlinear opinion dynamics model with biased assimilation. Automatica, 120, 8 pages.
    DOI Scopus29
    2020 Russell, J. S., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., Hmam, H., & Sarunic, P. (2020). Cooperative localization of a GPS-Denied UAV using direction-of-arrival measurements. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 56(3), 1966-1978.
    DOI Scopus46
    2020 Kawamura, S., Cai, K., Ye, M., & Lin, Z. (2020). Tight bound on parameter of surplus-based averaging algorithm over balanced digraphs. International Journal of Control, 93(8), 1859-1866.
    DOI Scopus9
    2020 Ahn, H. S., Tran, Q. V., Trinh, M. H., Ye, M., Liu, J., & Moore, K. L. (2020). Opinion Dynamics with Cross-Coupling Topics: Modeling and Analysis. IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 7(3), 632-647.
    DOI Scopus28
    2020 Ye, M., Liu, J., Wang, L., Anderson, B. D. O., & Cao, M. (2020). Consensus and Disagreement of Heterogeneous Belief Systems in Influence Networks. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 65(11), 4679-4694.
    DOI Scopus21
    2019 Anderson, B. D. O., & Ye, M. (2019). Recent Advances in the Modelling and Analysis of Opinion Dynamics on Influence Networks. International Journal of Automation and Computing, 16(2), 129-149.
    DOI Scopus123
    2019 Liu, Q., Ye, M., Qin, J., & Yu, C. (2019). Event-triggered algorithms for leader-follower consensus of networked euler-lagrange agents. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, 49(7), 1435-1447.
    DOI Scopus78
    2019 Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Yu, C. (2019). Leader Tracking of Euler-Lagrange Agents on Directed Switching Networks Using a Model-Independent Algorithm. IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, 6(2), 561-571.
    DOI Scopus17
    2019 Ye, M., Qin, Y., Govaert, A., Anderson, B. D. O., & Cao, M. (2019). An influence network model to study discrepancies in expressed and private opinions. Automatica, 107, 371-381.
    DOI Scopus98
    2018 Ye, M., Liu, J., Anderson, B. D. O., Yu, C., & Başar, T. (2018). Evolution of Social Power in Social Networks with Dynamic Topology. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 63(11), 3793-3808.
    DOI Scopus72
    2017 Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Yu, C. (2017). Distributed model-independent consensus of Euler–Lagrange agents on directed networks. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 27(14), 2428-2450.
    DOI Scopus20
    2017 Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Yu, C. (2017). Bearing-Only Measurement Self-Localization, Velocity Consensus and Formation Control. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 53(2), 575-586.
    DOI Scopus43

  • Books
    Year Citation
    2019 Ye, M. (2019). Opinion Dynamics and the Evolution of Social Power in Social Networks. Springer International Publishing.
    DOI

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2024 Gracy, S., Anderson, B. D. O., Ye, M., & Uribe, C. A. (2024). Competitive Networked Bivirus SIS Spread Over Hypergraphs. In Proceedings of the American Control Conference (pp. 4409-4415). CANADA, Toronto: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus1
    2024 Raineri, R., Como, G., Fagnani, F., Ye, M., & Zino, L. (2024). On Controlling a Coevolutionary Model of Actions and Opinions. In 2024 IEEE 63rd Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) (pp. 4550-4555). Milan, Italy: IEEE.
    DOI
    2024 Ye, M., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2024). Complex equilibria patterns in weakly-coupled competitive bivirus epidemic networks. In 2024 IEEE 63rd Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) (pp. 3905-3911). Milan, Italy: IEEE.
    DOI
    2023 Zino, L., & Ye, M. (2023). On incentivizing innovation diffusion in a network of coordinating agents. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 56 (pp. 4186-4191). JAPAN, Yokohama: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus1
    2023 Walsh, L., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Sun, Z. (2023). Decentralised adaptive-gain control for the SIS network epidemic model. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 56 (pp. 8506-8511). JAPAN, Yokohama: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus3
    2023 Zino, L., Ye, M., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2023). On a bi-virus epidemic model with partial and waning immunity. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 56 (pp. 83-88). JAPAN, Yokohama: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus1
    2023 Zino, L., Ye, M., Rizzo, A., & Calafiore, G. C. (2023). On Adaptive-Gain Control of Replicator Dynamics in Population Games. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (pp. 485-490). SINGAPORE: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus2
    2023 Gracy, S., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Uribe, C. A. (2023). On the Endemic Behavior of a Competitive Tri-Virus SIS Networked Model. In Proceedings of the American Control Conference Vol. 2023-May (pp. 2313-2318). CA, San Diego: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus2
    2021 Zino, L., Ye, M., & Cao, M. (2021). On modeling social diffusion under the impact of dynamic norms. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control Vol. 2021-December (pp. 4976-4981). Austin Texas: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus4
    2020 Colombo, L., Moreno, P., Ye, M., de Marina, H. G., & Cao, M. (2020). Forced variational integrator for distance-based shape control with flocking behavior of multi-agent systems. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 53 (pp. 3348-3353). Berlin, Germany: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus6
    2020 Zino, L., Ye, M., & Cao, M. (2020). A Coevolutionary Model for Actions and Opinions in Social Networks. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control Vol. 2020-December (pp. 1110-1115). Virtual, Jeju Island: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus10
    2020 Xia, W., Liang, H., & Ye, M. (2020). Expressed and Private Opinion Dynamics on Influence Networks with Asynchronous Updating. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control Vol. 2020-December (pp. 3687-3692). Virtual, Jeju Island: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus13
    2020 Anderson, B. D. O., Dabbene, F., Proskurnikov, A. V., Ravazzi, C., & Ye, M. (2020). Dynamical networks of social influence: Modern trends and perspectives. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 53 (pp. 17616-17627). Berlin, Germany: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus11
    2020 Ye, M., Liu, J., Anderson, B. D. O., & Cao, M. (2020). Distributed feedback control on the SIS network model: An impossibility result. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 53 (pp. 10955-10962). Berlin, Germany: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus5
    2020 Ye, M., Liu, J., Cenedese, C., Sun, Z., & Cao, M. (2020). A network SIS meta-population model with transportation flow. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 53 (pp. 2562-2567). Berlin, Germany: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus12
    2020 Xuan, W., Ren, R., Paré, P. E., Ye, M., Ruf, S., & Liu, J. (2020). On a network SIS model with opinion dynamics. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 53 (pp. 2582-2587). Berlin, Germany: Elsevier BV.
    DOI Scopus27
    2019 Ye, M., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2019). Modelling of individual behaviour in the degroot-friedkin self-appraisal dynamics on social networks. In 2019 18th European Control Conference, ECC 2019 (pp. 2011-2017). ITALY, Naples: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus11
    2018 Ye, M., Liu, J., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2018). On the Effects of Heterogeneous Logical Interdependencies in a Multi-Dimensional Opinion Dynamics Model. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control Vol. 2018-December (pp. 4372-4377). FL, Miami Beach: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus4
    2018 Trinh, M. H., Lee, B. H., Ye, M., & Ahn, H. S. (2018). Bearing-Based Formation Control and Network Localization via Global Orientation Estimation. In 2018 IEEE Conference on Control Technology and Applications, CCTA 2018 (pp. 1084-1089). DENMARK, Copenhagen: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus16
    2018 Anderson, B. D. O., & Ye, M. (2018). Nonlinear Mapping Convergence and Application to Social Networks. In 2018 European Control Conference, ECC 2018 (pp. 557-562). IEEE.
    DOI Scopus8
    2018 Liu, J., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., Basar, T., & Nedic, A. (2018). Discrete-Time Polar Opinion Dynamics with Heterogeneous Individuals. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control Vol. 2018-December (pp. 1694-1699). FL, Miami Beach: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus6
    2018 Trinh, M. H., Ye, M., Ahn, H. S., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2018). Matrix-weighted consensus with leader-following topologies. In 2017 Asian Control Conference, ASCC 2017 Vol. 2018-January (pp. 1795-1800). AUSTRALIA, Gold Coast: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus13
    2018 Anderson, B. D. O., & Ye, M. (2018). Nonlinear Mapping Convergence and Application to Social Networks. In 2018 EUROPEAN CONTROL CONFERENCE (ECC) (pp. 558-563). CYPRUS, Limassol: IEEE.
    2017 Liu, Q., Ye, M., Sun, Z., Qin, J., & Yu, C. (2017). Coverage Control of Unicycle Agents under Constant Speed Constraints. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 50 (pp. 2471-2476). FRANCE, Toulouse: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus11
    2017 Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Yu, C. (2017). A variable gain model-independent algorithm for rendezvous of Euler-Lagrange agents on directed networks. In 2016 Australian Control Conference, AuCC 2016 (pp. 153-158). AUSTRALIA, Newcastle: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus1
    2017 Ye, M., Liu, J., Anderson, B. D. O., Yu, C., & Başar, T. (2017). On the Analysis of the DeGroot-Friedkin Model with Dynamic Relative Interaction Matrices. In IFAC PAPERSONLINE Vol. 50 (pp. 11902-11907). FRANCE, Toulouse: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus13
    2017 Russell, J. S., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., Hmam, H., & Sarunic, P. (2017). Cooperative Localisation of a GPS-Denied UAV in 3-Dimensional Space Using Direction of Arrival Measurements. In IFAC-PapersOnLine Vol. 50 (pp. 8019-8024). FRANCE, Toulouse: ELSEVIER.
    DOI Scopus11
    2017 Ye, M., Liu, J., Anderson, B. D. O., Yu, C., & Basar, T. (2017). Modification of social dominance in social networks by selective adjustment of interpersonal weights. In 2017 IEEE 56th Annual Conference on Decision and Control, CDC 2017 Vol. 2018-January (pp. 2906-2911). AUSTRALIA, Melbourne: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus2
    2016 Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Yu, C. (2016). Model-independent trajectory tracking of Euler-Lagrange agents on directed networks. In 2016 IEEE 55th Conference on Decision and Control, CDC 2016 (pp. 6921-6927). NV, Las Vegas: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus3
    2016 Liu, Q., Ye, M., Qin, J., & Yu, C. (2016). Event-based leader-follower consensus for multiple Euler-Lagrange systems with parametric uncertainties. In 2016 IEEE 55th Conference on Decision and Control, CDC 2016 (pp. 2240-2246). NV, Las Vegas: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus29
    2016 Zhang, L., Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., Sarunic, P., & Hmam, H. (2016). Cooperative localisation of UAVs in a GPS-denied environment using bearing measurements. In 2016 IEEE 55th Conference on Decision and Control, CDC 2016 (pp. 4320-4326). NV, Las Vegas: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus9
    2015 Ye, M., Yu, C., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2015). Model-independent rendezvous of Euler-Lagrange agents on directed networks. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (pp. 3499-3505). JAPAN, Osaka: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus8
    2013 Ye, M., Anderson, B. D. O., & Yu, C. (2013). Multiagent self-localization using bearing only measurements. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (pp. 2157-2162). ITALY, Florence: IEEE.
    DOI Scopus11

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2015 - ongoing Member Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers United States
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