Alexander J. Stewart

Alexander J. Stewart is a Professor at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, and will join the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington as an Associate Professor in January 2025.

His educational background includes an MSci in Physics from Imperial College London, followed by an MRes and PhD from University College London (UCL). He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Royal Society University Research Fellow at UCL.

Alex uses mathematical and computational models to study learning and decision-making in humans, with a focus on how individual behaviors scale to population-level social phenomena. His research particularly investigates polarization, echo chambers, misinformation, and extremism in online environments, where human decisions interact with platform algorithms and information flow structures. He integrates modeling with empirical data and experiments to understand these complex dynamics.

His work lies at the intersection of computational social science, network science, and behavioral modeling, offering insights into the mechanisms driving societal challenges in digital spaces.

• Royal Society University Research Fellow

Alex has mentored students and researchers through his academic roles and research fellowships, though specific advisees are not listed. His research has likely been supported by grants associated with his Royal Society fellowship and institutional affiliations, enabling interdisciplinary work combining theory and data.

Alex’s research likely involves collaboration with interdisciplinary teams focused on social dynamics, data science, and cognitive modeling, potentially including labs or groups specializing in computational social science at both St Andrews and UCL. His upcoming role at the Luddy School indicates continued engagement with cutting-edge research in informatics and human-centered computing.