Social and Decision Science Research at Carnegie Mellon
Interdisciplinary research advancing theory, empirical methods, and policy-relevant insights into human judgment and social systems.
Research in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences examines how individuals, organizations and social systems make decisions. Faculty and students draw on psychology, economics, sociology and data science to study behavior and address challenges in areas such as public policy and organizational decision making.
Graduate and undergraduate participate in research, working closely with faculty and contributing to projects that combine theoretical and empirical approaches.
SDS research is organized through interdisciplinary centers and laboratories focused on decision making, risk perception, behavior and data-driven social science.
Research Focus Areas
SDS research spans a range of areas, including:
- Behavioral decision research
- Experimental economics
- Technology and innovation
- International relations
- Complex adaptive social systems
These areas are connected by a shared emphasis on theory development, empirical testing and methodological rigor.
Hear from Professor Simon DeDeo about research and undergraduate involvement in SDS.
Research Centers and Labs
AI Institute for Societal Decision Making
The NSF AI-SDM brings together AI and social science researchers to develop human-centered AI for societal applications, supporting more informed and trustworthy decisions.
Professors Chapman and Gonzalez
The CBDR is an interdisciplinary research center that brings together scholars from behavioral economics, psychology, organizational behavior, marketing and public policy.
Professors Acquisti and Loewenstein
Center for Risk Perception and Communication
This center brings together researchers studying risk perception and risk communication to develop shared frameworks and collaborate on a wide range of risk-related projects.
Professors Downs and Chapman
The D3 Lab uses data to understand and improve how different groups experience student success, thriving and sense of belonging at 好色先生TV.
Professors Manke, Jarbo and Kaufman
Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory
The DDM Lab combines laboratory experiments with computational models to study decision making in dynamic environments.
Professor Gonzalez