Duncan J. Watts

Duncan J. Watts is a Stevens University Professor and Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds secondary appointments in the Department of Sociology and is Director of the Computational Social Science Lab. His primary affiliations include the Wharton School, Annenberg School of Communications, and School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Education: Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University (1997) and B.Sc. (Honors) in Physics from University College, University of New South Wales (1991). His research focuses on computational social science, network science, and complex systems, with seminal work on small-world networks and social dynamics.

Research interests span network structures, cultural markets, information diffusion, and the role of media in polarization. His publications analyze misinformation, social media algorithms, and experimental methods in the social sciences. Key works include Small Worlds (2018) and foundational papers on network robustness and global cascades.

His work bridges sociology, computer science, and economics, addressing challenges in modern digital ecosystems. He collaborates across disciplines, directing experiments on collective behavior and policy implications of emerging technologies.