Signed networks
FRIENDS
Frameworks, Research and applIcations in complEx Networks with signeD edgeS
FRIENDS is an initiative that promotes the use of signed networks, i.e., networks containing positive and negative links. We provide educational resources, we organize satellite workshops at complex systems and network science conferences, and we have written a literature review on signed networks.
Figure from our literature review, Signed Networks: theory, methods, and applications.
Educational resources
Interactive apps for learning and teaching signed-network concepts, built with marimo.
Browse the resourcesSatellite
A workshop at NetSci 2026 with keynotes and contributed talks, following editions at NetSci 2025 and CCS 2024.
Program, speakers & moreReview
Our literature review of the theory, methods, and applications of signed networks.
Paper & citationNetSci 2026 satelliteInvited speakers
István Kovács
Northwestern University
Understanding social balance through maximum entropy models
Alec Kirkley
University of Hong Kong (HKU)
Defining Balance in Signed Networks
Rui-Sheng Wang
Harvard Medical School
Boolean network modeling in systems pharmacology: understanding of the molecular mechanism of drug effects
Rick Betzel
University of Minnesota
Edge-centric connectomics