Etienne Ollion

Etienne Ollion is a Professor of Sociology at École Polytechnique and a Research Director at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). He maintains dual appointments that position him at the intersection of traditional political sociology and emerging computational methods. His academic work spans both French and international institutions, with teaching invitations at ENS-Paris, Berkeley, University of Chicago, Sciences Po Paris, and other leading universities worldwide.

His research program focuses on two interconnected domains: the sociology of politics and power, and computational social sciences. Ollion's work examines political professionalization, parliamentary dynamics, and the transformation of political fields, particularly through his ethnographic study of the 2017 French National Assembly documented in his book The Candidates: Amateurs and Professionals in Politics (Oxford University Press, 2024). Simultaneously, he pioneers methodological innovations applying machine learning and natural language processing to social science research.

Ollion's recent publications reveal a trajectory increasingly focused on the intersection of AI and social science methodology, with numerous 2024-2025 publications addressing LLM applications, text annotation, and the ethical considerations of proprietary AI systems in research. His work demonstrates how computational methods can enhance traditional social science approaches while maintaining critical awareness of technological limitations.

As an academic leader, Ollion directs the Computational Social Sciences initiative at the IPP and has developed educational resources including online courses and the aweSOM software for data analysis. He regularly organizes summer schools (SICSS-Paris) and workshops to disseminate computational methods across the social sciences.

Ollion serves on the editorial board of Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales and maintains an active public presence through media appearances, including a notable interview on France Inter about AI and Social Sciences in September 2024. His upcoming book talk at The Seminary Co-op in Chicago on March 7, 2025 further demonstrates his active engagement with the international academic community.