Arjun Chandrasekhar

Salk Institute for Biological Studies, University of Pittsburgh

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Arjun Chandrasekhar is a biologist and computer scientist whose research lies at the intersection of distributed algorithms, collective behavior, and network theory. His primary focus is on how social insects, particularly the arboreal turtle ant (*Cephalotes goniodontus*), solve fundamental computing problems in nature. In his most-cited work, "A distributed algorithm to maintain and repair the trail networks of arboreal ants" (22 citations), Chandrasekhar demonstrates how these ants maintain a robust routing backbone—linking multiple nests and food sources—and dynamically reroute around broken trail links, effectively implementing a decentralized, fault-tolerant network. His follow-up study, "Better tired than lost: turtle ant trail networks favor coherence over short edges" (3 citations), reveals a counterintuitive design principle: the ants prioritize network coherence and connectivity over minimizing path length, a strategy that ensures the colony never gets lost even at the cost of efficiency. This work bridges biology and engineering, offering inspiration for resilient, self-healing communication networks. Chandrasekhar’s contributions highlight how simple, local rules in nature can produce globally robust solutions, making his research essential reading for students of swarm intelligence and distributed systems.