Dr. Simon Dedeo

Biography

Simon DeDeo is a professor in the Department of Social Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He has previously been affiliated with the Complex Systems Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University. DeDeo holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Princeton University, a Master’s in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University, and an AB in Astrophysics from Harvard University. His post-doctoral work includes fellowships at the Institute for Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the University of Tokyo and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on the Laboratory for Social Minds, where he undertakes empirical investigations and develops mathematical theories to understand historical and contemporary phenomena. His work spans centuries-long timescales of cultural evolution and the rapid emergence of social hierarchies in non-human animals, contributing to significant insights into major transitions in political order and predictions about species' future.

Research Interests