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James A. RobinsonView profile

Professor

• Political Economy
• Economic Development
• Institutional Analysis
• +3 more

James A. Robinson is a University Professor at the University of Chicago with joint appointments in the Harris School of Public Policy and Department of Political Science. An economist and political scientist, he conducts influential research on political and economic development, examining how political power, institutions, and prosperity interact through both quantitative economic modeling and qualitative fieldwork methodologies. Robinson's research focuses on institutional analysis and political economy, with deep regional expertise in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. He has conducted extensive fieldwork across Bolivia, Colombia, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, investigating how historical institutions shape contemporary economic outcomes. His interdisciplinary approach integrates economic theory with anthropological and historical case studies to explain patterns of economic divergence and political stability. Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal persistent themes in institutional persistence, state-society dynamics, and the cultural foundations of development. His work increasingly examines the interaction of economic and political inequality, the role of non-institutional factors in leadership strategies, and the historical roots of peripheral development trajectories across diverse global contexts. Scientific recognition includes: 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel Fellow, Institute of African Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Robinson co-authored three seminal books with Daron Acemoglu: Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (theoretical foundations of regime stability), Why Nations Fail (translated into 41 languages, arguing inclusive institutions drive prosperity), and The Narrow Corridor (analyzing state-society struggles for liberty). He maintained a 28-year summer school at Colombia's University of the Andes (1994-2022) and continues active research collaborations across Africa and Latin America.

Aarti SinghView profile

Professor

• Reinforcement Learning
• Bandit Algorithms
• Active Learning
• +7 more

Aarti Singh is a Professor in the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University and Director of the NSF AI Institute for Societal Decision Making. She leads research at the intersection of machine learning, statistics, and decision making, with applications to scientific and societal domains. Her work focuses on designing principled interactive algorithms for learning and decision making under uncertainty. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008) M.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2003) B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering, University of Delhi (2001) Research Interests: Professor Singh's research centers on developing interactive machine learning algorithms that go beyond finding input-output associations to make higher-level decisions about the most informative data and actions. Her work spans autonomous decision making, including active sampling, stochastic optimization, bandits, and reinforcement learning that are statistically optimal, computationally tractable, and robust. She also investigates human factors in decision making, designing algorithms that model and leverage human feedback while accounting for bias, memory effects, and calibration. Her research has applications in material science, cosmology, and peer review systems. Research Trends: Professor Singh's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on reinforcement learning, particularly in developing more efficient and robust algorithms for decision making under uncertainty. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, spanning from fundamental algorithm development to real-world implementation in scientific domains. There's a clear trajectory toward integrating human factors into decision-making algorithms, with significant contributions to peer review systems and preference learning. Scientific Awards: NSF Career Award United States Air Force Young Investigator Award A. Nico Habermann Faculty Chair Award Harold A. Peterson Best Dissertation Award Multiple paper awards Advising and Grants: Professor Singh has advised numerous PhD and master's students, many of whom have gone on to faculty positions or research roles at leading institutions. Her research is supported by prestigious grants from ONR, Simons Foundation, AFRL, ARL, and NSF. She serves as General Chair (2025) and Program Chair (2020) for the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) and has held leadership roles in multiple professional organizations. Research Team: Professor Singh leads a vibrant research group within the Machine Learning Department at CMU, with current PhD students working on topics including reinforcement learning, human-AI collaboration, and decision making under uncertainty. She also directs the NSF AI Institute for Societal Decision Making, which brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to develop AI systems that support human decision making in societal contexts.

Lisbeth AggestamView profile

Associate Professor

• Foreign Policy Analysis
• International Politics
• Political Leadership
• +4 more

Lisbeth Aggestam is an associate professor at the Department of Political Science and an associate researcher at the Center for European Research (CERGU) at the University of Gothenburg. She serves as the editor-in-chief of the international journal Foreign Policy Analysis , published by the International Studies Association (ISA) and Oxford University Press. Aggestam's research focuses on several interconnected areas: Political leadership and foreign policy Diaspora and foreign policy Foreign policy role theory The European Union as a global actor Her scholarly work demonstrates a consistent focus on leadership dynamics within European foreign policy, particularly examining how the EU navigates its role as a global actor amid shifting geopolitical landscapes. She has developed significant theoretical contributions to role theory in foreign policy analysis, creating frameworks for understanding how states and international organizations perform specific roles on the global stage. Aggestam's publication record reveals several important trends in contemporary foreign policy studies. Her work increasingly examines the intersection of domestic politics and international relations, particularly how diaspora communities influence state foreign policies. Her recent research addresses European strategic autonomy in the context of US foreign policy shifts and the implications of Sweden's NATO membership decision, reflecting her ability to connect theoretical frameworks with pressing real-world issues. As an educator, Aggestam serves as course manager and instructor for several key programs: EU2215: Europe in the World (MA, 15 hec) SK1136: Foreign Policy Analysis (BA, 7.5 hec) EU1145: The European Union in International Affairs (BA, 7.5 hec) Through her leadership of the Swedish Research Council project 'Transnational civil society and foreign policy' (2022-2025) and her editorial role at Foreign Policy Analysis , Aggestam plays a significant role in shaping contemporary discourse on international relations and European foreign policy.

Ceren BudakView profile

Associate Professor

• Computational Social Science
• Social Media Analysis
• News Media Production and Consumption
• +7 more

Ceren Budak is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering. Her work bridges computer science, statistics, and social sciences through computational social science approaches. Her educational background includes a PhD in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara (2012) and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Bilkent University in Turkey (2007). Prior to joining the University of Michigan faculty, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Microsoft Research New York. Professor Budak's research centers on computational social science, with particular emphasis on analyzing large-scale datasets to address questions with social, political, and policy implications. Her work spans several interconnected domains: News Media Production & Consumption (examining bias in news outlets and reader preferences), Social Movements & Media (using social media data to study collective action), Social Networks (understanding information diffusion processes), and Measuring and Promoting the Quality of Online Discussions (developing tools to improve online conversations). She teaches SI 608 (Networks) and SI 618 (Data Manipulation and Analysis) at the School of Information. Her publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding how online information ecosystems operate, with recent work focusing on AI-human collaboration, misinformation dynamics, social movement framing, and the application of computational methods to political communication. Her research shows a clear trajectory from foundational work on social network diffusion to increasingly sophisticated analyses of contemporary information challenges. Among her service activities, she has served as Registration chair for COSN (ACM Conference on Online Social Networks) 2015 and as Program Committee Member for numerous prestigious conferences including WWW, ICWSM, WebSci, AAAI, and others. She has also been involved in organizing the MSR NYC Data Science Seminar Series and instructing the Microsoft Research Data Science Summer School.

• Ethics
• Animal Rights Theory
• Speciesism
• +4 more

Frauke Albersmeier is a Lecturer at the University of Cologne's Faculty of Philosophy. Formerly a Research and Teaching Fellow at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), she specializes in ethics, animal rights theory, and conceptual analysis. She holds a PhD in Philosophy from HHU (2020) with a dissertation on 'The Concept of Moral Progress.' Her work bridges metaphilosophy, moral theory, and applied ethics, particularly focusing on speciesism, animal rights, and conceptual engineering. Education: PhD in Philosophy, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (2020) Master of Arts in Philosophy, HHU (2013) Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Sciences, FernUniversität Hagen (2011) Research Interests: Her work emphasizes ethical frameworks for nonhuman animals, the nature of moral progress, and the role of language in shaping moral concepts. Key areas include speciesism critiques, solidarity theories, and the methodology of conceptual analysis in philosophy. Recent Work Trends: Recent publications explore animal rights within human rights frameworks, science denialism, and ethical challenges in animal-free research. She frequently addresses interdisciplinary questions at the intersection of ethics and scientific practice. Awards and Grants: Recipient of DFG-funded research projects, including the Collaborative Research Center 991 (2016–2020) and a current project on 'Presuppositions of Frame Theory in the History of Philosophy.' Teaching and Outreach: Leads courses on animal ethics, moral progress, and conceptual theories. Active in popularizing philosophy through workshops and podcasts (e.g., Knowing Animals Podcast, 2022). Key Collaborations: Co-edited special issues on conceptual explication and analysis. Collaborates with institutions like the Centre de recherche en éthique (Montréal) and the University of Pennsylvania.

Yvonne RogersView profile

Professor

• Ubiquitous Computing
• Interaction Design
• Human-Computer Interaction
• +1 more

Yvonne Rogers is a Professor of Interaction Design and Director of the UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC), with a joint appointment as Deputy Head of the Department of Computer Science at University College London. She joined UCL in 2011 after holding professorships at the Open University (2006-2011) and Indiana University (2003-2006). Her pioneering work spans ubiquitous computing, interaction design, and human-computer interaction, with a current focus on human-centered AI. She co-authored the definitive 'Interaction Design' textbook (6 editions, 300,000+ copies) and serves as CTO of LetThink.com. Research interests center on designing technologies that enhance human cognition and daily activities: Ubiquitous Computing: Augmenting learning/work activities through pervasive technologies Human-AI Interaction: Developing AI systems that enhance human decision-making Health Technologies: Creating VR therapies and ADHD support systems Community Resilience: Designing tools for environmental monitoring and sustainable practices Publication analysis reveals three dominant trends: (1) VR applications for mental health (emotion regulation, ADHD support), (2) AI systems for cognitive augmentation, and (3) community-centered tools for healthcare/environmental challenges. Recent work demonstrates strong emphasis on vulnerable populations including children with ADHD, older adults, and postoperative patients. Major scientific recognition includes: International Member, National Academy of Engineering (2024) ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award (2022) Royal Society Robin Milner Medal (2022) Royal Society Fellowship (2022) Microsoft Outstanding Collaborator Award MRC Suffrage and Science Award (2020) Triple Fellow status (ACM, BCS, CHI Academy) Advises PhD students including Leon Reicherts, Sheena Visram, and Tu Duong. Secured major grants including EPSRC Dream Fellowship on ageing/computing and led the Intel Collaborative Research Institute on Sustainable Connected Cities (2012-2018). Directs UCLIC research center and previously established the Pervasive Interaction Lab at Open University.

Suzanne StaggenborgView profile

Professor

• Social Movements
• Political Sociology
• Environmental Sociology
• +3 more

Suzanne Staggenborg is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh's Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on social movements, political sociology, environmental sociology, and qualitative methods. She holds a PhD from Northwestern University (1985), an MA from Washington University (1979), and a BA from Miami University (1977). Staggenborg’s work examines grassroots environmental activism, abortion politics, and coalition-building in social movements. Her book Grassroots Environmentalism (2020) explores challenges faced by local groups opposing fracking and promoting sustainability. She has served as Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh (2012–2019) and McGill University (2005–2008). Her research highlights strategic challenges in environmental movements, gender dynamics in activism, and the interplay between social movements and political opportunity structures. Awards include the John D. McCarthy Award (2019) and grants from the National Science Foundation and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Education: PhD, Sociology, Northwestern University, 1985 MA, Sociology, Washington University, 1979 BA, Sociology and Psychology, Miami University, 1977 Key Awards: John D. McCarthy Award (2019) Member, Sociological Research Association (1997) Professional Service: Editorial boards for Mobilization , Social Movement Studies , and others Co-editor, Cambridge University Press Series on Contentious Politics

Noah NathanView profile

Associate Professor

• Political economy of development
• Comparative political behavior
• Urban politics
• +5 more

Noah Nathan is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology , with faculty affiliation at MIT’s Global Diversity Lab . He previously taught at the University of Michigan and earned his PhD in Government from Harvard University (2016) . Research Interests: Political economy of development Comparative political behavior Urban politics State-building Distributive politics and clientelism Political parties African political systems Article Trends: His recent work integrates urban built environments into political behavior analysis, with empirical studies across African cities. Key themes include state-building legacies in inequality, clientelist electoral systems, and architectural impacts on political engagement. Earlier work (2013-2020) focused on ethnic politics, leadership dynamics, and institutional design. Scientific Awards: 2024 William Riker Award for Best Book in Political Economy 2024 African Politics Conference Group Best Book Award 2023 Foreign Affairs Best Books recognition 2015 Heinz I. Eulau Award (APSR) 2024 Political Ties Best Paper Award (APSA) Advising & Grants: He has advised multiple published studies in top journals and secured research funding for field experiments in Ghana. Current work explores vernacular architecture’s political impact and state capture mechanisms. Labs & Teams: Affiliated with MIT’s Global Diversity Lab and collaborative networks across African politics research institutions.

Sebastian KubeView profile

Professor

• Behavioral Economics
• Experimental Economics
• Social Preferences
• +5 more

Sebastian Kube is a Professor of Behavioral and Experimental Economics at the University of Bonn, Germany. He holds concurrent positions as Senior Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Public Goods, Research Fellow at the Institute for the Future of Labor (IZA), and Vice Director of the BonnEconLab. He also coordinates the European Doctoral Program in Quantitative Economics and serves on multiple editorial/research boards. University of Bonn Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) BonnEconLab European Doctoral Program in Quantitative Economics His experimental research examines social preferences , cooperation mechanisms , incentive design , and norm enforcement . Key areas include: how remuneration schemes affect workplace cooperation, the effectiveness of social sanctions in social dilemmas, and the psychological foundations of environmental behavior. Recent work explores trust communication strategies for maintaining cooperation, information asymmetry effects in group dynamics, and incentive reversal phenomena where higher rewards paradoxically reduce effort. His 2025 publications particularly focus on sanction removal strategies and environmental behavior. Scientific Awards: Excellence in Teaching Award (2017, 2016, 2015, 2012) IZA Young Labor Economist Award (2011) Etienne-Laspeyres Prize (2011) Heinz Sauermann Prize (2004) As Vice Director of BonnEconLab, he oversees experimental infrastructure for economic research. His methodological approach combines field experiments with laboratory studies , often using behavioral game theory frameworks. He has published extensively in top journals including American Economic Review , Journal of Public Economics , and Management Science .

• Political Theory
• Political Philosophy
• Cultural Evolution
• +3 more

Dr. hab. Piotr Łukomski is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Theory, Institute of Political Science, University of Wrocław. His academic career focuses on the intersection of political theory, philosophy, and cultural analysis, with notable contributions to Hannah Arendt's philosophy, game theory applications in politics, and the role of imagination in political thought. Department: Political Theory Email: piotr.lukomski@uwr.edu.pl ORCID: 0000-0002-5307-616X Research Interests: His work spans conceptual metaphors in political theory, decision-making under hazardous conditions, cultural evolution of tyranny, and the aestheticization of politics. He examines how digital technologies (like VR) reshape political identity and how Arendtian frameworks apply to modern governance. Teaching: Coordinates social consulting labs and teaches decision-making processes in political contexts, with a focus on practical applications in hazardous conditions. Publications: Recent articles analyze VR-era political identity, Hannah Arendt's relevance to modern democracy, and the integration of problem-solving strategies in political thought.

Sarah A. SouleView profile

Professor

• Organizational Theory
• Social Movements
• Political Sociology
• +3 more

Sarah A. Soule is the Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business and Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior. She has been a faculty member at Stanford since 2008 and previously taught at the University of Arizona and Cornell University. As of June 2025, she serves as the first woman dean of Stanford GSB, marking the school's centennial year. Her educational background includes a PhD and MA in Sociology from Cornell University (1995, 1991) and a BA in Sociology from the University of Vermont (1989). She has held significant leadership roles including Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (2016-2023) and Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (2023-2025). Soule's research focuses on organizational theory, social movements, and political sociology, examining how social movements impact organizational and policy change. Her work bridges sociology and business, analyzing how protest influences corporate decisions and how organizations respond to social movement pressures. She has made significant contributions to understanding tactical innovation in social movements and the diffusion of protest strategies. Her scholarly output shows a consistent trajectory examining the intersection of social movements with business and policy. Early work focused on protest policing and movement tactics, while more recent research explores corporate activism, DEI initiatives, and the role of design thinking in organizational contexts. Her publications span top sociology and management journals, demonstrating interdisciplinary impact. Hank McKinnell-Pfizer Inc. Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2014 James and Doris McNamara Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2011 GSB Trust Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2010 Member, Sociological Research Association, 2009 Fellow, Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research, 2009 Magellan Circle Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, University of Arizona, 2006 Soule has served on multiple editorial boards including Sociological Science (founding team), Stanford University Press, and Cambridge University Press. She has advised numerous PhD students and has been actively involved in curriculum development, particularly in diversity, equity, and inclusion education. Her leadership extends to nonprofit boards including the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (Stanford d.school) and the international advisory board to the president of the Stockholm School of Economics. She co-directs the Stanford LEAD Online Business Program and has developed executive education programs focused on coaching skills and diversity leadership.

Michael SmithView profile

Professor

• Ethics
• Moral Psychology
• Philosophy of Mind
• +3 more

Michael Smith is the McCosh Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University. He holds a DPhil from Oxford University (1989) and has been a faculty member since 2004, previously at the Australian National University. His research focuses on ethics, moral psychology, philosophy of mind, political philosophy, and philosophy of law. Smith’s work integrates constitutivist theories of practical reason with analyses of moral agency. He has contributed to debates on moral rationalism, the nature of reasons for action, and the relationship between rationality and normativity. Education: MA, Monash University (1980); BPhil (1983), DPhil (1989), University of Oxford Smith’s scholarship emphasizes the interplay between ethical theory and psychological explanations of agency. Recent publications explore topics like carbon capture technologies, cultural clashes in moral reasoning, and probabilistic forecasting in oceanography. His philosophical contributions address foundational questions in meta-ethics, including the ‘moral problem’ and the implications of constitutivism for normative frameworks. He advises on interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of philosophy and emerging technologies. Notable research trends include applying philosophical analysis to environmental ethics and developing frameworks for resolving moral dilemmas through rational agency models. His work often bridges analytic philosophy with empirical inquiries in psychology and social science.

• Finance
• Financial Intermediation
• Banking Regulation
• +3 more

Frederic Malherbe is a Professor of Economics and Finance at University College London (UCL), affiliated with the UCL School of Management. His research focuses on financial intermediation, banking regulation, macroeconomics, and political economy. He holds an Orcid identifier (0000-0003-1175-5487) and maintains an active academic profile via Google Scholar and personal website. His work explores critical issues such as bank capital requirements, systemic risk, and the cross-border effects of financial policies. Recent contributions include analyses of pipeline risk in leveraged loans and the forced safety effect of capital regulations. Malherbe is a key organizer of the EuroFIT and London FIT networks, fostering collaboration in financial intermediation theory research. Publications span top journals like the Journal of Finance, Journal of Political Economy, and Review of Financial Studies. His research bridges theory and policy, addressing real-world challenges such as regulatory design and economic stability. Malherbe’s work has been featured in VoxEU and MappingIgnorance.org. He actively participates in academic communities, organizing workshops and conferences on topics like syndicated loans and macroprudential regulation. These events have involved institutions such as the London Business School, Imperial College, and the ECB.

• Climate Policy
• Long-Term Policy
• International Institutions
• +3 more

Detlef F. Sprinz is a Senior Scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and a Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Potsdam, Germany. During 2024-2025, he leads the project "AMaReNa - A Market for the Restoration of Nature" , focusing on carbon removals. His academic background includes a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in Economics from the University of the Saarland. Research Interests: Climate policy at multiple levels, long-term policy design, evaluation of international/national institutions, European/international environmental policy, and modeling political decisions for sustainability. Notable Projects: Tandem Fellowship (2020-2022) for interdisciplinary course development, Visiting Researcher at University of Lund (2022-2023), and coordination of research at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg (2017). Publications emphasize climate cooperation under the Paris Agreement, effectiveness of environmental regimes, and predictive modeling for climate negotiations. His work spans empirical analyses of acid rain regulation, Kyoto Protocol implementation challenges, and bioenergy accounting errors. Scientific Awards & Memberships: Tandem Fellowship (German Stifterverband) Member, European Academy Co-founder, Ecologic Institute Teaching includes courses on global climate governance, political decision modeling, and environmental policy at the University of Michigan, Yale, University of Oslo, and University of Potsdam. He has contributed to IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report as a Lead Author. Advisory Roles: Chairmanship of the European Environment Agency’s Scientific Committee (2009-2012), Senior Research Fellow at CICERO (2011-2013), and consultancy for governments, corporations, and think tanks.

Daniel LeunbachView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Entrepreneurship
• Decision-Making Under Uncertainty
• Philosophy
• +3 more

Daniel Leunbach is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Business, University of Oslo , specializing in Entrepreneurship . He teaches courses in strategy, innovation management, and entrepreneurship while integrating philosophy and psychology into his research to study decision-making under uncertainty. Ph.D. in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, University of Oslo MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Oslo BSc in Molecular Biology, University of Bergen His research explores the intersection of entrepreneurship theory , philosophy , and psychology , focusing on how entrepreneurs navigate situations where outcome probabilities are impossible to quantify. Recent publications investigate topics such as entrepreneurial imagination through poetry , resource acquisition negotiations , and Wittgensteinian approaches to defining entrepreneurship . Leunbach collaborates with scholars like Truls Erikson and Glenn Roger Kristiansen , publishing in journals such as Academy of Management Review , Scandinavian Journal of Management , and Journal of Business Venturing Design . He is affiliated with the Entrepreneurship (ENT) research group and consults on entrepreneurial decision-making frameworks.