Call for Collaboration: Seeking Researchers to Develop New Studies with Communities
June, 2022
Are you interested in working with online communities to test interventions that help them achieve pragmatic goals like reduce harassment, broaden participation, and increase speech among marginalized populations — while also advancing basic science? Are you interested to collaborate with communities on Reddit and Wikipedia?
Over the last six years, CAT Lab has developed models for citizen behavioral science through organizing practices and novel research software that advances knowledge and co-creates research with communities.
Over the next few years, CAT Lab is working to make our software and processes more widely available to scientific collaborators outside of our lab, and that could be you!
Sign up to join CAT Lab’s circle of scientific collaborators by August 15
What kind of knowledge will you gain through a collaboration with CAT Lab?
CAT Lab supports full-cycle field experiments that contribute knowledge about cause and effect in social social science, computer science, and policy. All our studies are co-designed with communities and are designed to advance community needs and scientific goals in parallel. Examples include:
- Advancing the science of social norms by testing ways to prevent harassment
- Studying the diffusion and influence of gratitude expressions
- Testing the effects of removing downvote buttons in large-scale political discussions
For examples of the kinds of questions that communities are interested in, see these reports from our community research summits:
How can working with CAT Lab help your research?
For our inaugural circle of scientific collaborators, we are hoping to offer a range of support for your research:
- Facilitated collaborative conversations with possible community partners where you imagine possible research studies together
- Technical support for conducting field experiments, including access to our field experiments software, and analysis infrastructure
- Guidance on ethics and privacy, including software systems for managing consent, debriefing, and GDPR compliance
- A diverse and supportive community of other researchers doing similar community collaborations
Our current funding gives us the capacity to provide the above in-kind support to researchers; we cannot cover salaries or other research expenses.
How CAT Lab works
The Citizens and Technology Lab (CAT Lab) at Cornell University works alongside the public to discover effective community ideas for change in ways that advance scientific knowledge.
We prioritize community agency and inclusion in our work and we strive to make our findings collaborative, relevant, and in plain language that is accessible and useful for all. At CAT Lab, we work for a world where digital power is guided by evidence and accountable to the public.
Would you like to work with us?
If you are interested in working with CAT Lab, please Indicate your interest here. This isn’t the only way to work with us, but it’s the best. (Note: the form includes a request for some demographic information to ensure that we’re supporting equity in academia)
We will review applications and reach out by August 15 2022. You will also receive occasional updates from CAT Lab. Please feel free to forward/share with folks who would be interested (including your graduate students/advisees).