About Me
I am a 28-year-old urban scientist currently based in Paris, France. Holding a doctorate in physics from the Université Paris-Saclay, my research focuses on developing data-driven mathematical models to understand diverse urban phenomena. I specialize in creating 'parsimonious' models that offer comprehensive insights using minimal parameters.
My work spans population dynamics, income dynamics, street network design, public transport efficiency and city delineation. I have worked in collaboration with physisicts, geographers, economists, architects and mathematicians. My work resulted in muliple scientific publications. Notably, my first-authored publication in Nature addressed a century-old question on city population dynamics, emphasizing the significance of urban planning from a demographic standpoint. Additionally, I published my first book in 2023.
Currently, I am a Research Associate at the Institut des systèmes complexes in Paris. Simultaneously, I serve for the French Ministry of Finance, where I contribute to optimal state-funding of Industry and Innovation projects.
Looking ahead, I am keen on pursuing a position in sustainability planning to further broaden my expertise and contribute to efficient urban development.
Order my new book on City Population online!
About My Work
| Nov 2022 | "La modélisation des villes : une approche physique du phénomène urbain" in La Jaune et la Rouge. |
| Nov 2020 | "Comment un village peut devenir une mégalopole" in The Conversation. | Aug 2019 | "Transit Can Save the Environment, Just Not How We Expected" in Bloomberg. |
Education (Find my complete résumé here)
| Aug 2022 | Doctorate of Philosophy, Paris-Saclay University, Paris, France |
| Thesis: "The modelling of urban systems" – Supervisor: Dr. Marc Barthelemy | |
| Aug 2019 | Master of Science, École des ponts, Paris, France |
| Public Policies and Actions for Sustainable Development. Government executive program. | |
| Aug 2018 | Master of Science, École normale supérieure, Paris, France |
| Theoretical physics -- Statistical physics. | |
| Aug 2017 | Master of Science and Engineering Degree, École polytechnique, Paris, France |
| Grande école |
Publications
Handbook
Statistics and Dynamics of Urban Populations: Empirical Results and Theoretical Approaches, Verbavatz, V., & Barthelemy, M. Oxford Universty Press. Scheduled for issuance on December 21st, 2023.
Journal publications
- What is a city? For a universal delineation of urban areas using cell phone data, Dong, Lei, ..., Verbavatz, V., et al., preprint.
- Modeling the spatial dynamics of income in cities, Verbavatz, V., & Barthelemy, M. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 23998083231171397 (2023).
- Betweenness centrality in dense spatial networks, Verbavatz, V., & Barthelemy, M. Physical Review E, 105 (5), 054303 (2021).
- From one-way streets to percolation on random mixed graphs, Verbavatz, V., & Barthelemy, M. Physical Review E, 103(4), 042313 (2021).
- The growth equation of cities, Verbavatz, V., & Barthelemy, M. Nature, 587(7834), 397-401 (2020).
- Access to mass rapid transit in OECD urban areas, Verbavatz, V., & Barthelemy, M. Scientific Data, 7(1), 1-6 (2020).
- Critical factors for mitigating car traffic in cities, Verbavatz, V., & Barthelemy, M. PLoS one, 14(7), e0219559 (2019).