July 31, 2025

The NUS Centre for Computational Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) held its inaugural research symposium from 29 to 30 July 2025. Established in 2024, CSSH acts as an interdisciplinary hub, combining computational methods with social science and humanities to tackle complex societal issues. Leveraging advances in digital data and computational tools, the centre addresses challenges across diverse fields including social media, health and social care, environmental studies, and cultural heritage.

Day 1 opened with a keynote by Professor Elena Karahanna, Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia’s Department of Management and Information Systems, titled “Designing Human-AI Collaborative Work Arrangements”. With over 25 years of research experience, she specialises in how information systems affect work and communication, with a focus on responsible AI, health IT, and social bots. Professor Karahanna is a highly cited scholar and has received numerous prestigious awards for her contributions to information systems research.

Next, the first panel, “AI and Human Behaviour: Methods and Impacts,” featured Associate Professor Jungup Lee from NUS Social Work, Assistant Professor DongWon Oh from NUS Psychology, and Professor Andrew Przybylski from the Oxford Internet Institute. Associate Professor Lee’s research focuses on behavioural and mental health outcomes linked to adverse childhood experiences, cyberbullying, and digital well-being. Assistant Professor Oh combines social psychology, cognitive science, and computational techniques to examine social perception and interaction in digital environments. Professor Przybylski studies how online platforms influence human motivation, health, and well-being, working closely with policymakers to address digital-age challenges.

It was followed by a keynote titled “Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Immersion – Implications of Computational Social Science in Public Policy” by Professor Aaron Maniam from Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. A former senior policymaker in Singapore, Professor Maniam now focuses on the intersection of technology, public policy, and digital governance. He plays an active role in global technology policy initiatives and brings extensive experience in strategic government leadership.

The second panel on “Computer Vision and NLP for Digital Humanities” included Ms Alicia Yeo, Director of the National Library Singapore, with extensive experience in library and information services; Professor Kenneth Dean from NUS Chinese Studies, an expert in religion, epigraphy, and digital humanities; and Associate Professor Chao Han of NUS Chinese Studies, whose interdisciplinary research integrates translation studies, language assessment, and computational linguistics.

Day 2 began with the third keynote, “Accelerating Innovation Through Computational Social Science,” delivered by Professor Alex “Sandy” Pentland, a pioneering computational scientist affiliated with MIT and Stanford. Renowned for his work in human dynamics, data science, and privacy, he has contributed to major global policy initiatives and co-founded several technology companies.

The third panel, themed “Computational Simulations for Social Sciences,” featured Professor Aaron Maniam; Assistant Professor Subhayan Mukerjee from NUS Communications and New Media, whose research focuses on digital media audiences using computational methods; and Professor Kenneth Benoit, Dean of the School of Social Sciences at SMU, an expert in computational text analysis and political communication.

The symposium closed with the final keynote by Prof Andrew Przybylski, ‘Rethinking Technological Harms: The Path Forward in Research on AI and Youth Well-Being’.

This symposium highlights CSSH’s role as a leading hub for interdisciplinary research, showcasing how computational methods can deepen our understanding of social and human challenges. By bringing together experts across fields, the event reinforces the Centre’s mission to advance innovative solutions that impact society, strengthening its position locally and globally.