Shadi Rezapour, PhD

Rezapour is a computational social science researcher who employs artificial intelligence tools to examine complex dynamics on social media platforms, including online behavior and discourse, as well as polarization and cross-cutting communications. Her research combines natural language processing techniques with social science theories to extract information — such as social and political viewpoints and stances, moral values, and power dynamics — from text produced in online communities.

She has presented and published research on how to capture and measure the dynamics of social interactions online to better understand real-world behaviors, attitudes, and cultures. Her recent work is looking at how online reviews can be used as a tool to quantify the impacts of documentaries and scientific films on people and whether such products could result in a shift in audiences’ knowledge or behavior. She is also studying the discourse around drug use on social media platforms to better understand the portrayal and depiction of illicit drugs in films and popular culture and their impact on people and communities.

Rezapour can provide insight into the latest applications of natural language processing algorithms, and social implications of AI, and discuss theories and observations about evolving social behaviors online.