Simon DeDeo

Simon DeDeo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is also an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) and previously held faculty positions at Indiana University’s Complex Networks and Systems (CNetS) and Cognitive Science Program. He leads the Laboratory for Social Minds, conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of physics, social science, and the humanities.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Astrophysics, Princeton University
• M.A. in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge University
• A.B. in Astrophysics, Harvard University

Postdoctoral Fellowships:

• Institute for Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo
• Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago

His research focuses on complex systems, cultural evolution, information theory, and social cognition. The Laboratory for Social Minds develops mathematical models to understand social phenomena across timescales—from real-time animal hierarchies to centuries-long political transitions. Projects include analyzing Wikipedia editor interactions, modeling cultural change, and exploring cognitive foundations of societal structures.

The recent publications reflect a strong trend in computational social science, leveraging tools like Hidden Markov Models and rate-distortion theory to analyze symbolic data from historical and digital sources. Work spans symbolic time series analysis, norm evolution, scientific cognition, and emergent social order, often combining empirical data with theoretical modeling.

Research in the lab has been supported by major grants from:

• National Science Foundation
• John Templeton Foundation
• Templeton World Charity Foundation
• Army Research Office
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• Survival and Flourishing Fund
• Private donors

DeDeo has mentored over 25 graduate-level researchers, with former lab members receiving prestigious awards including the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Hertz Fellowship, and Rhodes Scholarship. He has developed open-source software such as SFIHMM (Hidden Markov Models), THOTH (entropy estimation), and PyRated (rate-distortion theory), and released datasets on Wikipedia conflict dynamics. Opportunities for collaboration and fellowships are available through the Santa Fe Institute.

The Laboratory for Social Minds fosters a collaborative environment focused on deep-time accounts of human cultural and political evolution, aiming to predict and understand the future trajectory of our species.