Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences, UC Irvine

The Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences (IMBS) in the School of Social Sciences is a specialized research center where the objective is to facilitate interaction and common research goals among scientists whose purpose is to formulate precisely and test theories of human behavior; this is to be interpreted in a wide sense as manifested by the membership which spans the following areas: anthropology, cognitive science, economics, engineering, logic and the philosophy of science, mathematics, political science, and sociology. Additional faculty come from management science and psychobiology.

To describe our focus, consider the fruitful symbiotic relationship that has existed for millennia between mathematics and the physical sciences. A goal of the IMBS is to generate a similar relationship between mathematics and the behavioral and social sciences. With high-power social scientists (several are members of the National Academy) providing insights about the field and working with the mathematicians who are involved, new mathematical approaches to analyze these issues are being developed and new kinds of mathematical questions are being raised.

Research Activities

Seminars and colloquia are held regularly. Participants include UCI faculty and graduate students, visiting scholars, postdoctral fellows and other invited speakers throughout the world.

Conferences, held annually, involve internationally recognized researchers who are devoted to the exchange of ideas and research involving highly technical, currently lively topics.

Research subteams are organized to address highly specialized topics. The Institute can provide occasional seed money, but outside financial suport is usually sought to sustain the work.

Preprints of research conducted by scientists participating in the Institute are issued as available. Books authored by IMBS faculty.

The IMBS Annual Reports describe activities of IMBS members, including brief descriptions of their recent research activities, publications, presentations, etc.

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