A new center at Rice University will bring together the insights of the social sciences and the power of computational methods to understand and address inequality in today’s society.
The Center for Computational Insights on Inequality and Society at Rice (CIISR), led by Fred Oswald, professor in psychological sciences, and Elizabeth Roberto, assistant professor of sociology, will bring together faculty, postdoctoral researchers and students in the School of Social Sciences to identify, understand and help address complex issues related to inequality and society.
The center seeks to cultivate a community that Oswald and Roberto describe as an “intellectual crucible” for transformative and computationally intensive research among social sciences experts at Rice. They said the unique combination of computing power, large-scale data and advanced methods will enhance research innovation across the university, enabling scholars to answer complex multidisciplinary questions about inequality, revealing new insights and enhancing research training in the social sciences.
“Addressing these societal issues requires bold, innovative approaches that bridge disciplines and harness the power of data and computation,” said Rachel Kimbro, dean of social sciences. “The Center for Computational Insights on Inequality and Society exemplifies our commitment to advancing research that makes a meaningful impact. By fostering collaboration and equipping scholars with cutting-edge tools, Rice is working to push the frontiers of social science research.”
Oswald emphasized that the center will be a highly collaborative environment, allowing researchers to learn from each other’s computational methods, while making social sciences a more integral part of research across the university that seeks to make meaningful contributions to society.
“Through our center, we are excited for Rice’s School of Social Sciences to lead and contribute to multidisciplinary research and grants at Rice that leverage theoretical and computational insights from the social sciences,” Oswald said. “Complex societal problems require the expertise of social scientists to better model and better understand these issues from a research perspective.”
Roberto added that by combining computing power with large-scale data, CIISR will help researchers study topics like the spatial patterns of residential segregation and the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work.
“The center will also provide valuable opportunities for collaboration and training, equipping students with the skills needed to tackle today’s social challenges,” she said.
Roberto and Oswald said another goal of the center is for its work to lead to large-scale, grant-funded research that energizes research productivity and enhances world-class graduate and undergraduate education.
“We want to offer training opportunities that allow emerging scholars to sharpen their skills in ways not possible through the standard curriculum,” Roberto said. “We also want the center to support and complement what’s already happening in departments and build a community of scholars that transcends disciplinary boundaries.”
More information on the center is online at https://ciisr.rice.edu.