Professor Peter Hedström, the PI of SweCSS, started the conference by explaining what the center does and its main goals. He highlighted that SweCSS is a research and education center at the forefront of the rapidly growing field of Computational Social Science (CSS). CSS combines large-scale data, intensive computational methods, and well-defined theories in social sciences to improve our understanding of human behavior and the complex social dynamics it entails.
Researchers from IAS and IDA presented and discussed their current work in CSS. This included progress in machine learning, text analysis, and agent-based modeling, which have created new and thorough ways to answer key questions in social sciences and humanities.
SweCSS is a joint effort between IAS and IDA at Linköping University, funded by a grant from the Swedish Research Council. The center supports new research collaborations and offers training for doctoral students while working with top researchers in Sweden and around the world.
By promoting research that combines large datasets and advanced computational methods, SweCSS seeks to provide new insights into society and the dynamics that govern it. The kickoff conference marks the beginning of a promising journey for the center, which continues to explore and develop groundbreaking research collaborations in this emerging and significant field.
