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

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Event Date: February 24th, 2025
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM PT

Virtual Realities and Digital Spaces

The future of virtual reality (VR) is poised to be transformative, reshaping industries, enhancing human connection, and redefining how we work, play, and learn. However, the evolution of the metaverse also necessitates careful consideration of its societal and environmental impacts. The panel will feature Nicole Starosielski, Professor of Film and Media Studies at UC Berkeley; Emma Fraser, Assistant Teaching Professor in Media Studies and the Berkeley Center for New Media at UC Berkeley; and Clancy Wilmott, Assistant Professor in Critical Cartography, Geovisualisation and Design in the Berkeley Center for New Media and the Department of Geography at UC Berkeley. 

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Research Highlights

Article

Published August 1, 2014

Lie Detector

Recent research by a psychologist at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business suggests that our unconscious mind can detect lies.

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Science

Article

Published July 29, 2014

Mind Readers At Work

A team of researchers led by UC Berkeley neuroscientists are getting closer to decoding imagined speech from the brain.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published July 29, 2014

Arroyos and Socionatures

A UC Berkeley geographer explores a mystery to better understand the relationship between human-caused and natural phenomena.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published July 29, 2014

When Companies Manage Cities

UC Berkeley political scientist Alison Post’s new book explores the consequences of privatizing urban infrastructure.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published July 29, 2014

Social Networks from History

A new tool developed by a team at UC Berkeley can help build “prosopographies,” social networks based on names, affiliations, and other historical data.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published July 22, 2014

Do You Trust the Police?

A team of UC Berkeley researchers are helping devise new methods for measuring levels of trust between local communities and the police.

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