I direct the Data Lab at Syracuse University. Our work sits at the intersection of data mining, machine learning, social science and theory: collecting and analyzing large-scale data to find actionable patterns.
Current members and alumni are listed on the lab site, which is where the roster is kept up to date.
We are always looking for self-motivated graduate students. Preference goes to applicants with a solid theoretical background, solid programming skills, and/or prior research experience.
If big data, social computing, data mining or machine learning interests you, particularly around social media and large-scale information networks, there are two separate steps. Submit the Data Lab application, and apply to Syracuse University's EECS graduate program, mentioning my name in your application. They are independent of each other, and the Data Lab one should come first.
If what you send is a fit, I will usually reach out to you. There is no need to follow up. I am not able to email everyone who applies, so not hearing back is a matter of volume rather than a verdict on your application.
Reading two or three papers close to what interests you is the single best preparation for contacting us. Please read them yourself rather than having an LLM summarize them. What I want to hear is what you made of the work, which is not something a summary can give you.
We take on volunteer research assistants. Two conditions are firm: every request goes through the Data Lab application (choose Undergraduate Research or MS), and you should be able to show fit.
Already know my work? See Publications and Research.