معرفی
Shadi Rezapour is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Science at Drexel University's College of Computing & Informatics. She serves as Principal Investigator of the SocialNLP Lab and co-director of the DONUTS Lab at Drexel University, focusing on bridging computational methods with social science theories to analyze human language in social contexts.
Dr. Rezapour received her educational training at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
- PhD in Information Sciences, School of Information Sciences
- MSc in Information Management, School of Information Sciences
Her research lies at the intersection of computational social science and natural language processing (NLP), with a focus on developing "socially-aware" NLP models that incorporate cultural and social contexts to better understand human behavior, attitudes, and cultures through language analysis. She investigates how language shapes public opinion and conveys complex social and cultural information, particularly in online communities and social media platforms. Her work addresses important societal issues including substance use disorder narratives, podcast analysis, controversial topics and polarized viewpoints, and the impact of information products on socio-cultural environments.
Dr. Rezapour's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on applying NLP techniques to social good, with particular emphasis on reducing stigma in substance use conversations, analyzing narratives in media coverage, and examining the societal impacts of AI technologies. Her research combines technical innovation with social relevance, often employing network analysis alongside linguistic approaches to gain deeper insights into human communication patterns.
Among her professional recognitions:
- NCWIT/Bloomberg grant to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration (2020)
Dr. Rezapour actively contributes to the academic community through service roles including ICWSM 2025 tutorial co-chair, IC2S2 2024 local co-chair, ACM FAccT proceeding co-chair, and CSCW area chair. She has successfully secured research funding for her work on computational social science and NLP applications, mentoring students and early-career researchers in her labs.
As leader of the SocialNLP Lab and co-director of the DONUTS Lab, Dr. Rezapour fosters interdisciplinary research that brings together computer science, linguistics, and social sciences to address complex societal challenges through computational approaches.
