“It’s a good idea to use hard data for soft questions”

Chris Snijders is a Full Professor and Chair of Sociology of Technology and Innovation at Eindhoven University of Technology. His research interests include: Experts, expertise, model-based decision-making and decision support: computer models outperform human experts in a large number of tasks - even tasks that considered the typical domain of human experts. Why is that? Why is the actual use of computer models for prediction purposes nevertheless limited? Our life online: how does interaction in virtual worlds (on the internet) affect the conditions under which people interact? How do people deal with these conditions? How can we use these conditions to our benefit? For instance, can we use the traces that student leave online to better understand their learning process and further improve learning materials? Models in the social sciences: using formal models (game theoretical, statistical, or otherwise), on topics that - at first sight - seem hard to approach.  Recommending, persuasion, and nudging: How can we design technology to help people make better choices, such as helping people to conserve energy, or helping them to convince themselves to install adequate prevention measures in their homes? Social networks: how do the connections between people or firms affect their behavior? Under which conditions can we get innovation going? Trust and cooperation: what are the reasons for trustful and trustworthy behavior? Decision making and choice under uncertainty: people are notoriously weird when it comes to decision making under circumstances that involve probabilities. Luckily, there is some consistency in the way in which people are weird.

Chris Snijders received his MSc from Utrecht University, Department of Mathematics, in 1991, with a specialization in game theory and a minor in econometrics and economics. He obtained his PhD (with honors) from Utrecht University, Department of Sociology, in 1996. He worked as a postdoc at Utrecht University until 1999 and was a KNAW-fellow in the university’s Department of Sociology until 2003. Besides head of the Human-Technology Interaction group, he is also Research Director of the School of Innovation Sciences. He also works at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS) in Den Bosch.