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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Research Highlights

Article

Published September 5, 2014

Struggles of a Class Worrier

Governments have to do more to reduce income inequality, says UC Berkeley's Robert Reich.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published September 3, 2014

Snapping Back from Disaster

UC Berkeley's Center for Catastrophic Risk Management seeks new approaches for mitigating the impacts of disasters on large-scale infrastructure systems.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published August 6, 2014

ADHD Explosion

UC Berkeley Professors Stephen P. Hinshaw and Richard M. Scheffler argue that ADHD must be understood as a result of both social conditions and biology.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published August 6, 2014

A Critical Take on Cities

UC Berkeley's Critical Urbanisms Working Group draws upon diverse disciplines to re-examine cities and how they are planned and managed.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published August 6, 2014

Invited Interventions

Research by UC Berkeley Political Scientist Aila Matanock sheds light on why state-building interventions succeed in some nations and not others.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published August 6, 2014

Take No Prisoners

Through overcrowding, lockdowns, and medical neglect, the conditions in U.S. prisons have become unconstitutional, according to UC Berkeley legal scholar Jonathan Simon.

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