CSBS News

How do researchers sustain momentum when funding is limited—and how do they know when it’s time to pivot their work? Early-career faculty and experienced scholars gathered for candid conversations about building adaptable, collaborative research programs in today’s evolving funding landscape.

Faculty developing translational or health systems research are encouraged to apply for the Spring 2026 Jump ARCHES Grant Program. Proposals are due April 10, 2026, with two funding tracks supporting projects that move innovations into practice or develop new tools to improve care. Learn how CSBS can help strengthen your proposal and provide feedback.

Access to digital technology shapes how people learn, work, and connect—but those opportunities aren’t distributed equally. Colin Rhinesmith, associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and director of the Digital Equity Action Research (DEAR) Lab, studies communication technologies and how communities access and use information. Their work focuses […]

Through a guest lecture and interactive workshop, CSBS convened researchers interested in applying computational methods to the study of human behavior. The events highlighted how new analytical tools can expand research possibilities while raising important questions about bias, transparency, and interpretation.

CSBS and the I-Sci Explorers team recently welcomed local families for an evening of hands-on activities exploring emotions, decision-making, probability, and community design. Many of the activities were created and led by undergraduate and graduate students, showcasing how social and behavioral science research ideas can be transformed into engaging learning experiences.

Curiosity starts early, and with the right support, it can last a lifetime! Illinois Science Explorers (I-Sci) connects University of Illinois students with local organizations to bring hands-on, inquiry-based STEM learning directly to young learners. By pairing near-peer mentors with K-5 students, I-Sci helps make science approachable, exciting, and accessible—especially for students who may not […]

Shardé McNeil Smith, associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies and African American Studies at the University of Illinois, received a 2024 CSBS Small Grant to examine how structural racism and racial discrimination shape relationship functioning among Black couples. Her project reflects the Small Grant Program’s commitment to advancing innovative social and behavioral science […]

Apply to the Partnerships for Evidence-based Public Policy (PEPP) Fellowship Program for the 2026–27 academic year—don’t wait! About the Fellowship:PEPP, co-hosted by the Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS) and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA), supports mid-career faculty across the Illinois System in conducting year-long policy research projects in collaboration with […]

How do we measure ideological bias in media, in AI systems, and even in human judgment? In this online session, Nicholas Beauchamp (Political Science, Northeastern University) examines how early computational models attempted to detect bias—and where they fell short. While many approaches rely on opaque “black-box” systems, his work introduces theory-informed structure to large language […]