Identifying Robust Network Structure By Switching and Rewiring

Network robustness captures the resilience of networks under disruptions such as the deletion of nodes and/or edges in the networks. Therefore, understanding and identifying robust networks is an important problem. This thesis studies how to enhance the robustness of networks by presenting two new algorithms/strategies. The first algorithm is called "neighborhood switching". The second algorithm is called "neighborhood rewiring". The robustness gain of these algorithms is evaluated in terms of four measures: percolation threshold, network diameter, average path length, and node robustness. The thesis also discusses the new findings and insights.