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.

Special Event

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Event Date: March 11th, 2026
4:00pm-5:30pm

Social Science Matrix – BESI Open House

Register to join us on March 11 at 4:00pm for the Matrix-BESI Open House. Co-organized by Social Science Matrix and the Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative (BESI), this event is an opportunity to network with other members of the Berkeley social science community and learn more about our projects, events, and funding and research opportunities. Light bites and refreshments will be served. 

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Research Highlights

Article

Published April 1, 2015

Paul K. Piff: “Are the Wealthy More Narcissistic?”

Psychologist Paul Piff studies the link between wealth and social behavior, and shows how economic inequality shapes—and is shaped by—the mind.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published March 30, 2015

Kerwin Klein: “Mountain Views”

Europeans used to regard mountains as fearsome and unapproachable, but this perception has shifted over time, says UC Berkeley Professor of History Kerwin Klein.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published December 29, 2014

Bearing Witness

UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center has taken a lead role in assessing the International Criminal Court’s groundbreaking witness program.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published December 27, 2014

Bee Killers

The bodies and behaviors of bees have been dramatically transformed by human beings—including the U.S. military—according to UC Berkeley geographer Jake Kosek.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published December 20, 2014

Brain Exercise and Alzheimer’s

A postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley investigated whether a lifetime of cognitive exercise could mitigate the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published December 17, 2014

Africa’s AIDS Industry

Efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa tend to follow the same script, even though the methods are largely ineffective, according to a paper co-authored by a UC Berkeley sociologist.

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