A Message from the Director
A Message from the Director
We live in a moment of extraordinary technological change. Generative AI, large language models, and new computational tools are reshaping how knowledge is produced, how governments make decisions, and how economies develop. At CTDS, our work is animated by a simple conviction: rigorous social science research must keep pace with these changes, and it must be useful.
Our faculty bring together computational social science, causal inference, economic geography, and public administration to address some of the most pressing questions facing governments, nonprofits, and communities. We study the labor market consequences of AI adoption, the role of place-based policies in driving inclusive growth, how AI enters and reshapes public institutions, and how data science can strengthen the nonprofit sector and civic life.
Our vision is a center that is genuinely bilingual, fluent in both frontier methods and substantive policy questions. We are committed to producing research that is technically rigorous and immediately relevant: work that informs policymakers, supports practitioners, and equips the next generation of public servants with the data science skills they need.
I invite you to explore our research themes, meet our faculty and students, and reach out if you see opportunities to collaborate. The challenges ahead are significant, but so is the opportunity to make a meaningful difference.