Our lives have been transformed by networks that combine people and computers in new ways. They have revolutionized the nature of the economy, business, government, politics, and our day-to-day existence. But there is little understanding of the fundamental nature of these networks precisely because the combination of human and technological elements poses a host of conceptual and empirical challenges. Our goal is to forge the foundations of an integrated framework for understanding the connected world we live in. This requires a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental effort that leverages and supports existing disciplinary network projects. The Center is jointly directed by Asu Ozdaglar (EECS) and Alex 'Sandy' Pentland.