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.

Book Talk

Recap

Published May 14, 2026

Benjamin Recht: “The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us”

Recorded on May 5, 2026, this video features a talk by Benjamin Recht, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, focused on his book, The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us. Professor Recht was joined in conversation by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of […]

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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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Research Highlights

Article

Published June 10, 2015

Penelope Anthias: “Gas and Land Rights in Bolivia”

In Bolivia, conflicting interests have led to complicated internal struggles over rights, land, and money, says a postdoctoral fellow in UC Berkeley's Department of Geography.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published June 1, 2015

Tribal Tongues

After nearing extinction, California Indian languages are gaining new speakers—and a digital presence—with the help of UC Berkeley’s Linguistics Department.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published May 12, 2015

After the Maidan

UC Berkeley scholars present diverse viewpoints on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

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