Matrix On Point
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Event Date: November 5th, 2026
4:00pm-5:30pm
Matrix on Point: Propaganda Machines
AI is an increasingly powerful force in the current U.S. landscape of knowledge, mis- or disinformation, media, and politics. This panel will bring together scholars who examine questions related to AI, influence, and information in journalism, media, and California’s universities to discuss the implications of these developments for information and knowledge politics today. Featuring Maty Bohacek, Martha Kenney, Martha Lincoln, and Edward Wasserman, with moderation by Cori Hayden.
Learn More >Matrix News
Funding Opportunity
Published February 25, 2026
Applications Open: 2026-2027 Research Teams, Iris Hui Memorial Scholarship
Social Science Matrix is pleased to present two funding opportunities: for 2026-2027 Matrix Research Teams, and for the Iris Hui Memorial Scholarship.
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Podcast
Published February 3, 2026
“Some College” and the Social Function of Higher Education: An Interview with Sarah Payne
What are the economic consequences of starting, but not completing college? On this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Sarah Harrington, Program Manager at Social Science Matrix, spoke with Sarah Payne, a sociologist who recently published a paper in Sociology of Education that examined what happens when students begin college but fail to graduate. “Although non-completion […]
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Recap
Published February 3, 2026
American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now
How did Americans come to elect Barack Obama — and then Donald Trump? Watch the video of a talk by Paul Starr, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs, and Stuart Professor of Communications and Public Affairs, at Princeton University, discussing his book, "American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now."
Learn More >Matrix News
Funding Opportunity
Published February 3, 2026
Call for Proposals: 2026-2027 Matrix Research Teams
The application window is now open to submit proposals for Matrix Research Teams for the 2026-2027 academic year. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 16, 2026. Faculty-led Research Teams can receive funding up to $5000. They run for one to two semesters. Student-led Research Teams will receive funding up to $1500. Coordinated by one or more graduate students, they meet regularly, around 5-10 times over the course of the academic year.
Learn More >Matrix Lecture
Recap
Published December 16, 2025
Alexis Madrigal: “To Know A Place”
Recorded on December 4, 2025, this video features a Social Science Matrix Distinguished Lecture, “To Know a Place,” presented by journalist and author Alexis Madrigal. In this talk, Madrigal turns his attention to the question of how we come to know a place. Drawing on his background as a reporter, writer, and thinker of cities, landscapes, and histories, he explores different ways of writing about and understanding place, revealing how perspective, memory, and narrative inform the stories we tell about the world around us.
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Recap
Published December 16, 2025
Maximilian Kasy: “The Means of Prediction: How AI Really Works (and Who Benefits)”
Recorded on December 2, 2025, this video features a talk by Maximilian Kasy, Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford, presenting his book The Means of Prediction: How AI Really Works (and Who Benefits). In the book, Kasy clearly and accessibly explains the fundamental principles on which AI works, and, in doing so, reveals that the real conflict isn’t between humans and machines, but between those who control the machines and the rest of us.
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