UC Berkeley’s flagship institute for social science research

Our purpose is captured in our name: we provide an organizational framework—a “matrix”—that supports cross-disciplinary research pursued by social scientists across the University of California, Berkeley campus and beyond.

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published April 10, 2025

Mainstreaming Psychedelics

Psychedelics are steadily moving from the fringes of counterculture to the heart of mainstream society, driven by a growing body of research and shifting public perception. As psychedelics shed their stigma, they are catalyzing a broader conversation about mental health, spirituality, and the boundaries of human consciousness. Recorded on March 6, 2025, this panel featured Diana Negrin, David Presti, Charles Hirschkind, and Graham Pechenik, with Poulomi Saha moderating.

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Matrix On Point

Recap

Published March 16, 2022

Matrix on Point: The War in Ukraine and Its Consequences

In this Matrix on Point event, recorded on March 15, 2022, a panel of UC Berkeley scholars discussed the Ukraine-Russia War conflict and its implications. Panelists included John Connelly, the Sidney Hellman Ehrman Professor in the Department of History; Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Quantedge Presidential Professor in the Department of Economics; Gérard Roland, the E. Morris Cox Professor of Economics and Professor of Political Science; and Katerina Linos, the Irving G. and Eleanor D. Tragen Professor of Law. Daniel Sargent Associate Professor of History at UC Berkeley, moderated.

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Matrix On Point

Recap

Published March 14, 2022

Cryptography and the Future of Money

Recorded on March 2, 2022, this "Matrix on Point" panel featured presentations by Markus K. Brunnermeier, Edwards S. Sanford Professor in the Economics Department at Princeton University and Director of Princeton’s Bendheim Center for Finance; Stefan Eich, Assistant Professor of Government at Georgetown University; and Christine Parlour, the Sylvan C. Coleman Chair of Finance and Accounting at Berkeley Haas. Moderated by Barry Eichengreen, the George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Chair and Distinguished Professor of Economics and Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley.

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Matrix News

Big Give

Published March 10, 2022

Big Give: Support the Social Sciences at UC Berkeley

Today is Big Give, UC Berkeley’s annual day of giving. By making a donation to Social Science Matrix, you can join us in our efforts to know and understand the world of today, and imagine and bring about the world of tomorrow.

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Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published March 8, 2022

Precolonial Legacies in Postcolonial Politics

Watch the video of our “Author Meets Critics” panel focused on the book, "Precolonial Legacies in Postcolonial Politics: Representation and Redistribution in Decentralized West Africa," by Martha Wilfahrt, Assistant Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Political Science. Recorded on March 7th, 2022, the panel included Scott Straus and Alberto Díaz-Cayeros, and was moderated by Leonardo Arriola.

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Matrix Lecture

Recap

Published February 28, 2022

The Problem of Trust in the Digital Public Sphere

On February 24, 2022, Matrix was honored to host William Davies, Professor of Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London, for a Matrix Distinguished Lecture. Davies explored how the digitization of our public sphere has made trust harder to establish, as the ideal of “facts” has been challenged by that of “real-time data,” and consequently altered the forms of allegiance, organization, and political coalitions that are possible.

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Black History Month

Article

Published February 16, 2022

Honoring Black History Month at Social Science Matrix

In honor of Black History Month, we've rounded up a selection of 11 Social Science Matrix articles, podcasts, and videos of panel discussions with themes related to understanding Black lives in America.

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