Episode 4: Computational Social Sciences
In our new Episode of the DSMINDSETS podcast, we invited Prof. Anda Iamnitchi to talk with us about her research. She recently started a new position as Chair of Computational Social Sciences at the Institute of Data Science at Maastricht University.
Professor Iamnitchi talked to us about her hobby of Argentine tango dancing in milongas and her talent for making banana bread which has been quality approved by her 12-year-old son!
Her study in Computer Science
Prof. Iamnitchi described that her choice to study Computer Science was more due to a process of elimination because of growing up in Romania during a communist regime, where other fields such as the humanities had been tainted by the political climate. She said that, although she had quite a strong background in Mathematics and Physics, she entered Computer Science with very little knowledge about computers but relished the challenge to learn and master the subject.
Her research in Computational Social Sciences
Prof. Iamnitchi introduced to us her fascinating research on distributed systems and how information spreads in social networks and in social media platforms such as Twitter. In particular, she discusses a simulated experiment she recently conducted with colleagues about the conditions under which a committed minority can influence or bring about the adoption of a new convention (e.g., a new fashion trend) [1]. In this work, she found that, surprisingly, the size of the minority was not a significant factor in bringing about the change. Rather, the positioning of these minority individuals in the social network and their proximity to other “vulnerable” or “influenceable” individuals was the key factor.
She also went on to express her view that cultural biases and attitudes in different countries towards females entering Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields was a major factor in the low number of female candidates entering these fields.
[1] "Diffusion of social conventions across polarized communities: an empirical study”
Her advice for students and juniors
As advice for students interested in pursuing a similar career trajectory to hers, she recommends pursuing a problem that you really care about in society. Disregard the market and current trends in research funding. She also acknowledges that finding what you care about is not so easy for everyone, but she recommends courage to try new things in this quest.
From the DSMINDSETS podcast team, it was a pleasure to bring you this episode. Stay tuned for the next one!
Follow us @DSMindsets on Twitter and Instagram
Please rate us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform.
If you are a member of the Maastricht University community, please click here to evaluate our episodes. Your input helps us to improve our podcast and meet our grant-funded objectives.