Welcome to my page. My name is Christopher and I’m a Postdoc at the Chair of Machine Learning for Complex Networks, Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Germany. I have a Ph.D. in Computational Science and Engineering from Umeå University in Sweden and a background in Computer Science. During my Ph.D. studies, I was enrolled in the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous System and Software Program (WASP). I’m a Haskeller and functional programmer at heart. On my random walk through science, I have worked with discrete optimisation, programming language design, bioinformatics, machine learning, and network science.
In my free time, when it exists and is non-zero, I like to drink fancy coffee, dance West Coast Swing, and bake bread and pizza.
You can drop me an email to mail [ät] chrisbloecker [döt] se if you want to get in touch. You can also find me on github and LinkedIn.
Scientific Articles
25. [Preprint] Compressing Regularised Dynamics Improves Link Prediction in Sparse Networks
Maja Lindström, Christopher Blöcker, Tommy Löfstedt, Martin Rosvall
arXiv:2410.08777
24. [Preprint] Hierarchical Graph Pooling Based on Minimum Description Length
Jan von Pichowski, Christopher Blöcker, Ingo Scholtes
arXiv:2409.10263
23. [Preprint] From Link Prediction to Forecasting: Information Loss in Batch-based Temporal Graph Learning
Moritz Lampert, Christopher Blöcker, Ingo Scholtes
arXiv:2406.04897
22. [Preprint] Flow Divergence: Comparing Maps of Flows with Relative Entropy
Christopher Blöcker and Ingo Scholtes
arXiv:2401.09052
21. [Preprint] Community Detection with the Map Equation and Infomap: Theory and Applications
Jelena Smiljanić*, Christopher Blöcker*, Anton Holmgren, Daniel Edler, Magnus Neumann, Martin Rosvall
*equal contribution
arXiv:2311.04036
20. [Preprint] Mapping Biased Higher-Order Walks Reveals Overlapping Communities
Anton Holmgren, Christopher Blöcker, Martin Rosvall
arXiv:2304.05775
19. [Preprint] A natural history of networks: Modeling higher-order interactions in geohistorical data
Alexis Rojas, Anton Holmgren, Magnus Neuman, Daniel Edler, Christopher Blöcker, Martin Rosvall
bioRXiv
18. [Accepted] The Map Equation Goes Neural: Mapping Network Flows with Graph Neural Networks
Christopher Blöcker, Chester Tan, Ingo Scholtes
To appear in: Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, NeurIPS 2024.
OpenReview, arXiv:2310.01144
17. Cell-Type Prediction in Spatial Transcriptomics Data using Graph Neural Networks
Moritz Lampert, Christopher Blöcker, Ingo Scholtes, Dominic Grün
In: ICLR 2024 Workshop on Machine Learning for Genomics Explorations.
OpenReview
16. Sampling Networks from Modular Compression of Network Flows
Christopher Blöcker, Jelena Smiljanić, Martin Rosvall, Ingo Scholtes
In: The Second Learning on Graphs Conference
OpenReview
15. Enhancing Professional Skills among Engineering Students by Interdisciplinary International Collaboration
Thomas Mejtoft, Helen Cripps, Melissa Fong-Emmerson, Christopher Blöcker
In: Proceedings of the \(51^{st}\) SEFI Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 11-14 September 2023.
DOI: 10.21427/NFBV-3930
14. Arctic Research Trends: Bibliometrics 2016-2022 (Technical Report)
Dag W. Aksnes, Christopher Blöcker, Cristian Colliander, Lena Maria Nilsson
In: Publications from Arctic Centre at Umeå University, August 10, 2023.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7961982
13. Python in a Week – Conceptual Tests for Learning and Course Development
Christopher Blöcker, Thomas Mejtoft, Nina Norgren
In: Proceedings of the \(19^{th}\) International CDIO Conference, Trondheim, Norway, 26-29 June 2023.
PDF
12. Similarity-based Link Prediction from Modular Compression of Network Flows
Christopher Blöcker, Jelena Smiljanić, Ingo Scholtes, Martin Rosvall
In: Proceedings of the First Learning on Graphs Conference, PMLR 198:52:1-52:18, 2022.
PMLR, OpenReview, arXiv:2208.14220
11. Map Equation Centrality: Community-aware Centrality based on the Map Equation
Christopher Blöcker, Juan Carlos Nieves, Martin Rosvall
In: Applied Network Science 7, article number 56, August 16, 2022.
DOI: 10.1007/s41109-022-00477-9, arXiv:2201.12590
10. International Professional Skills: Interdisciplinary Project Work
Thomas Mejtoft, Helen Cripps, Christopher Blöcker
In: Proceedings of the \(18^{th}\) International CDIO Conference, Reykjavík, Iceland, 13-15 June 2022.
PDF
9. Mapping Flows on Weighted and Directed Networks with Incomplete Observations
Jelena Smiljanić, Christopher Blöcker, Daniel Edler, Martin Rosvall
In: Journal of Complex Networks, Volume 9, Issue 6, December 10, 2021.
DOI: 10.1093/comnet/cnab044, arXiv:2106.14798
8. Internationalization at home: An international interdisciplinary experience
Thomas Mejtoft, Helen Cripps, Christopher Blöcker
In: Den 8:e Utvecklingskonferens för Sveriges Ingenjörsutbildningar, Karlstads Universitet, 24-25 November 2021.
PDF
7. Enhancer-derived long non-coding RNAs CCAT1 and CCAT2 at rs6983267 has limited predictability for early stage colorectal carcinoma metastasis
Lai Fun Thean, Christopher Blöcker, Hui Hua Li, Michelle Lo, Michelle Wong, Choong Leong Tang, Emile K. W. Tan, Steven G. Rozen, Peh Yean Cheah
In: Scientific Reports, Volume 11, Issue 1, January 11, 2021.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79906-7
6. Mapping Flows on Bipartite Networks
Christopher Blöcker and Martin Rosvall
In: Physical Review E, Volume 102, Issue 5, November 11, 2020, American Physical Society.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.102.052305, arXiv:2007.01666
5. Sustainable International Experience: A Collaborative Teaching Project
Thomas Mejtoft, Helen Cripps, Stefan Berglund, Christopher Blöcker
In: Proceedings of the \(16^{th}\) International CDIO Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden, 9-11 June 2020.
PDF
4. Pardis: A Process Calculus for Parallel and Distributed Programming in Haskell
Christopher Blöcker and Ulrich Hoffmann
In: The Journal of Supercomputing, Volume 74, Issue 4, April 2018.
DOI: 10.1007/s11227-018-2289-6
3. Beyond fitness tracking: The use of consumer-grade wearable data from normal volunteers in cardiovascular and lipidomics research
Weng Khong Lim, Sonia Davila, Jing Xian Teo, Chengxi Yang, Chee Jian Pua, Christopher Blöcker, Jing Quan Lim, Jianhong Ching, Jonathan Jiunn Liang Yap, Swee Yaw Tan, Anders Sahlén, Calvin Woon-Loong Chin, Bin Tean Teh, Steven G. Rozen, Stuart Alexander Cook, Khung Keong Yeo, Patrick Tan
In: PLoS Biology, Volume 16, Issue 2, February 27, 2018.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2004285
2. A formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE)-based prognostic signature to predict metastasis in stage I/II microsatellite stable colorectal cancer
Yee Syuen Low*, Christopher Blöcker*, John R. McPherson, See Aik Tang, Ying Ying Cheng, Joyner Y. S. Wong, Clarinda Chua, Tony K. H. Lim, Choong Leong Tang, Min Hoe Chew, Patrick Tan, Iain B. Tan, Steven G. Rozen, Peh Yean Cheah
*contributed equally
In: Cancer Letters, Volume 403, September 10, 2017, Elsevier.
DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2017.05.031
1. Utilising an Ant System for a Competitive Real-Life Planning Scenario
Christopher Blöcker and Sebastian Iwanowski
In: Proceedings of the \(3^{rd}\) International Conference on Computational Logics, Algebras, Programming, Tools, and Benchmarking, Computation Tools 2012, IARIA, July 22, 2012.
ISBN: 978-1-61208-222-6
Experience and Education
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Postdoctoral Researcher
Since Aug 2024
Universität Zürich
Postdoctoral Researcher
Oct 2023 - Jul 2024
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Postdoctoral Researcher
Apr 2023 - Sep 2023
Umeå Universitet
Senior Research Engineer, Network Science
Oct 2022 - Mar 2023
Umeå Universitet
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Computational Science and Engineering
Thesis: Through the Coding Lens - Community Detection and Beyond
Oct 2017 - Oct 2022
Duke-NUS Medical School
Research Associate, Bioinformatics
Apr 2015 - Sep 2017
Fachhochschule Wedel, University of Applied Sciences
Master of Science, Computer Science
Thesis: A Process Calculus for Parallel and Distributed Programming in Haskell
Oct 2011 - Mar 2015
implico GmbH
Software Developer
Mar 2011 - Mar 2015
Fachhochschule Wedel, University of Applied Sciences
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science
Thesis: Entwurf und Implementierung zur dynamischen Optimierung von Liefertouren mit einem Ameisen-System
Oct 2009 - Sep 2011
Fachhochschule Wedel, University of Applied Sciences
Business Informatics
Oct 2007 - Sep 2009
Reviewer Activity
- 2024 KDD, NeurIPS, Communications Physics, EPJ Data Science
- 2023 The Web Conference (WWW), Bled eConference
- 2022 Physical Review E, EPJ Data Science, Journal of Supercomputing
Teaching
Information, Networks, and Markets (7.5 ECTS)
2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
The course is based on the book Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning About a Highly Connected World by David Easley and Jon Kleinberg. In the course, I use information theory, graph theory, and game theory to develop models that explain phenomena from everyday life. During the course, the students choose a real-world question and develop apply the covered material to develop a model to answer it.
Social Media Technology (7.5 ECTS)
2020, 2021, 2022
The course covers the development and enabling technologies of social media over the past years. During the course, the students design a social medium and implement it in a prototype in collaboration with marketing students from ECU Perth.
Modelling and Simulation (7.5 ECTS)
2020, 2021
For this course, I have developed and taught a module on introduction to machine learning.
Tutorial Automata and Formal Languages (4 ECTS)
In German: Automaten und Formale Sprachen
2009, 2010, 2012
I have taught accompanying tutorials for the course Automata and Formal Languages.
Slides
Tutorial Fundamentals of Theoretical Informatics (2 ECTS)
In German: Grundlagen der Theoretischen Informatik
2008
I have taught accompanying tutorials for the course Fundamentals of Theoretical Informatics.
Other Activities
West Coast Swing Umeå
I have been a dance instructor and board member in the dance club West Coast Swing Umeå since April 2018.
Svenska Danssportförbundet
I have been a member in the West Coast Swing Committee of the Swedish Dance Sport Federation (Svenska Danssportförbundet) since September 2018.
WASP Ph.D. Student Council
I have been a member in the WASP Ph.D. student council from January 2019 until October 2022. From April 2020 until March 2021, I was vice-chairman, and from April 2021 until March 2022, I was chairman.