Introduction In the era of digital connectivity and big data, understanding relationships among entities has become a central challenge in network science and data analytics. Two closely related areas that address this challenge are Link Prediction and Recommender Systems . Both techniques aim to identify potential connections that are not currently observed but are likely to occur in the future. While link prediction focuses on forecasting future or missing relationships in networks, recommender systems utilize similar principles to suggest products, services, information, or social connections to users. The rapid growth of online platforms, social media, e-commerce websites, and digital content repositories has increased the importance of these technologies. Organizations rely on them to improve user experience, enhance engagement, and support decision-making processes. As a result, link prediction and recommender systems have become fundamental components of modern intelligen...