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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Interview

Published September 22, 2015

Robin T. Lakoff: “What’s Up With Upspeak?”

The linguistic phenomenon known as “upspeak” has long been linked to a broader pattern of gender relations, thanks to the work of UC Berkeley’s Robin T. Lakoff, Professor Emerita in the Department of Linguistics.

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Interview

Article

Published August 15, 2015

Manisha Anantharaman: “It’s Not Easy Being Green”

For India’s growing middle class, recycling is as much about creating identity as being environmentally conscientious.

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Workshop/Symposium

Published July 7, 2015

Hacking Measurement

A Social Science Matrix research seminar on "Technology for Measurement" is dedicated to developing new solutions for gathering social data from a variety of sources.

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Workshop/Symposium

Published July 7, 2015

Taming Animal Spirits

A pair of researchers from UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy organized a Matrix seminar to explore what neuroscience can tell us about asset price bubbles and other irrational economic behavior.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published July 1, 2015

Hooked On A Feeling

How we control our feelings has a major impact on our mental health, according to research from UC Berkeley's Emotion and Emotion Regulation Laboratory.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published July 1, 2015

Speech on the Brain

A UCSF neuroscientist and UC Berkeley linguist team up for leading-edge research that could one day help give speech back to stroke victims and people with paralyses.

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