ANR-Lab at the Conference on Computational Social Sciences in St. Petersburg
From May 14 to 16, the first Russian conference on computational social sciences, organized by the School of Computational Social Science, was held at the European University at St. Petersburg. Six researchers from the International Laboratory for Applied Network Research presented papers.
About the Conference
The conference included seven thematic sections covering computational sociology and geography, the analysis of scientific and educational systems, computational methods in the study of law, and methods as a new driver of discovery in the social sciences and humanities. We presented papers in four of them. In addition to the sections, participants participated in several master classes on modern research approaches and tools.
The central event was a general discussion, in which representatives from several educational programs discussed the definition of computational social sciences today, how to structure educational programs in this interdisciplinary field, and the main challenges they face. Irina Pavlova and Ilya Petrov represented our lab in the discussion.
ANR-Lab Members Participation
Several ANR-Lab team members presented papers at the conference:
- Irina Pavlova presented a paper on the use of bibliometric network analysis to study scientific journals as platforms for scholarly discourse, prepared jointly with Mikhail Meshkov. Using a social policy journal as an example, the paper used the keyword co-occurrence method to map the publication's thematic discourse. Furthermore, the colleagues assessed the applicability of the OpenAlex database as a data source for studying Russian-language journals.
I'd like to highlight two important observations related to the conference event. First, the very fact that Russia now has a dedicated conference on computational social sciences. This signals the development of computational methods in science. The conference featured sections on computational sociology, geography, ethnography, and more. The conference also highlights how education is changing, with new disciplines and even programs in computational social sciences emerging. Second, I'd like to highlight the friendly atmosphere and horizontal communication at the event, making it very easy to connect, discuss research results, and plan future joint projects and promising collaborations.
- Ilya Petrov presented a report on the extension of approaches to estimating the average impact effect (ATE) to the case of multiplex networks.
My colleagues Anna Semenova (International Centre of Decision Choice and Analysis) and Dmitry Kozikov (second-year Master's student) and I are exploring the problem of estimating the average impact effect in a network interaction context, where the outcome of an individual user depends not only on the impact on them but also on the impact on their associated users and their outcomes. If user outcomes depend on the structure of connections, then the difference in means between the impacted and control groups generally no longer coincides with the ATE.
The main goal of our work is to extend existing approaches to the case of a multiplex network. In such a network, the same users are connected by several types of relationships. A multilayered representation allows us to take into account that different interaction channels may transmit spillover effects differently. This eliminates the need to aggregate different types of connections into a single matrix, storing them separately in the model.
- Natalia Matveeva presented a paper on the transformation of academic capital among scientists during academic mobility. The paper demonstrated that social capital changes unevenly across its characteristics. Natalia and Lika Kapustina's paper also explored how research activity and collaboration among Russian universities have changed over the past thirty years.
The conference was memorable for its friendly atmosphere, fruitful discussions, and engaging presentations. Thanks to our colleagues from the EUSP for the opportunity to present their work and for the fruitful discussions!
- Lika Kapustina also presented her paper at the conference on the professional background of judges as an extra-legal factor in the rendering of judicial decisions.
This isn't my first trip to the European University, and every return there (whether for school or conference) provides a new impetus for my development. It's hard to overstate the level of organization of the conference: all the sessions I presented at and attended were very interesting and informative. I'd like to thank all the organizers—both young and old, both the conference as a whole and the individual sessions—for their contribution to ensuring that this conference ran smoothly and was incredibly informative.
- Daniil Kovalev discussed the use of multimodal network analysis to identify labor market trends, using the RosNavyk platform and data analytics vacancies as examples.
I participated in the "Computational Sociology" section. I remember this section as a showcase for the application of various methods (from sentiment analysis and network analysis to AI agents) to the study of current social processes. It was particularly meaningful to see how computational social science goes beyond pure theory, combining modern data analysis methods with applied research into digital communications. For me, the conference became a space for interdisciplinary interaction, where I could exchange experiences and discuss various approaches to research and teaching.
- Polina Ermolaeva shared the results of her master's thesis on modeling the effects of selection and influence on the behavior of adolescents in Russian vocational schools.
The conference was inspiring. I really enjoyed the variety of presentations and sessions, as well as the overall atmosphere of the event. It was equally exciting to see colleagues from ANR-Lab in St. Petersburg, and I hope that meetings at this conference will become a regular occurrence!
We thank our colleagues from the European University for inviting us to participate and organizing the event!
