Title: Nonlocal Traffic Models

Speaker: Nicola De Nitti, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Abstract: Mathematical modeling seeks to represent complex real-world processes using equations that capture their essential mechanisms, enabling analysis and prediction of their behavior. In many systems, the dynamics at a given location depend not only on local conditions but also on those in a surrounding region. Capturing such phenomena requires nonlocal models, which describe how spatially distributed interactions influence the system's evolution. Developing a rigorous theory of nonlocal dynamics remains an active area of research with implications ranging from the natural sciences to socio-economic organization. In this talk, we focus on mathematical models of vehicular traffic, a concrete and societally relevant setting where nonlocal effects arise. Drivers do not react only to the car directly ahead: they respond to traffic conditions over a visible stretch of road. The emergence of autonomous vehicles, driver-assistance technologies, and connected infrastructure, which leverage expanded perception and information-sharing to preempt congestion, further motivates the adoption of nonlocal modeling approaches. We present an overview of local and nonlocal traffic models, their relationship in suitable limiting regimes, and robust numerical methods for their simulation. This research provides a mathematical framework aimed at supporting the development of safer and more efficient transportation networks.

Profile: Nicola De Nitti earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics, summa cum laude, from FAU Erlangen–Nürnberg in July 2023 under the supervision of Enrique Zuazua. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher in Maria Colombo's group at EPFL from September 2023 to March 2025. Since April 2025, he has been a Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the University of Pisa. Further information is available at https://nicodenitti.com/

Language: English

Target audience: General audience/everyone at OIST and beyond.
Freely accessible to all OIST members and guests without registration.

This talk will also be broadcast online via Zoom:
Meeting ID: 993 1216 5065
Passcode: 603487

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