معرفی
James Cross is an Associate Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin (UCD) and serves as the Director and co-founder of the Connected_Politics Lab @ UCD. His position places him at the intersection of political science and data analytics, where he applies computational methods to study EU political processes and decision-making.
Dr. Cross received his BA from University College Cork, an MSc in International Relations from the University of Bristol, and completed his PhD at Trinity College Dublin. His postdoctoral work included positions at the ETH in Zurich and as a Max Weber and Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence.
Cross's research agenda focuses on international and comparative politics, with particular emphasis on EU policymaking processes. He has pioneered the application of natural language processing techniques to analyze large corpora of legislative texts in the EU, developing innovative methods to examine patterns of conflict and cooperation between EU institutions. His work extends beyond the EU context, with methodological approaches adaptable to other legislative bodies worldwide. His research spans several interconnected themes: data science applications in EU politics, legislative amendment tracking, transparency in EU decision-making, and the Decision-Making in the EU (DEU) project. Cross frequently employs computational methods including text analysis, network analysis, and machine learning to extract meaningful insights from political texts and communications.
His publication record demonstrates a consistent trajectory of innovative research applying computational methods to political science questions, particularly concerning EU institutions. Cross's work shows a strong emphasis on methodological innovation alongside substantive contributions to understanding EU legislative processes, transparency mechanisms, and institutional dynamics. His recent publications increasingly focus on central banking communications, algorithmic bias in political analysis, and the application of network approaches to understanding policy agenda dynamics.
- PSAI Teaching and Learning prize (2021)
- European Union Politics/SAGE Award for best article (2018)
- Nomination for best conference paper (2015)
- Visiting Scholar fellowship at the University of Milan (2015)
- Jean Monnet Chair (2019-2022)
Cross has secured multiple research grants including the Jean Monnet Chair, the EUR_data project integrating EU studies with data analytics, the ParliView project bridging information divides, the SDG_EU project tracking sustainable development goals' influence, and the EU Data Laboratory project. He actively engages in teaching innovation, with course syllabi openly shared on GitHub, and coordinates modules including Advanced Seminar in Politics, AI and Large Language Models, EU Foreign Policy, Introduction to EU Politics, and Politics of (mis-)information.
As Director of the Connected_Politics Lab, Cross leads a research environment at the intersection of political science and data analytics. The lab collaborates with the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at UCD and focuses on applying computational methods to political texts and processes. His work has established him as a key figure in the application of data science to EU politics, with particular expertise in analyzing legislative processes and political communications through computational approaches.
حوزههای پژوهشی
