Research

CURRENT RESEARCH

Broadly, my research interests are in mathematical modeling of complex social systems using tools from applied dynamical systems, network science, and data science. I develop  mathematical models and statistical methods for understanding the underlying mechanisms driving social behavior, which are then empirically validated with data. My research is interdisciplinary and spans issues of science, technology, and innovation at the nexus of environmental governance, policy and diplomacy. My work often leads me to construct novel, high-quality datasets, develop new tools and/or use state-of-the-art machine learning methods to acquire these data.

Research projects have included understanding and predicting how scientists form collaborations at virtual and in-person conferences, game theory and poker, autonomous vehicles, the cyclical nature of fashion trends, and coupled oscillators. More recently, I have been studying how to foster international cooperation for global environmental issues, focusing on institutions bridging science, policy, and diplomacy, using the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a case study. I am also investigating the role of technology in optimizing scientific ecosystems to foster cross-border collaborations and innovation.

My work involves theory and practice of science diplomacy. On the theoretical side, I study how to foster international scientific collaborations and how to optimize the design of scientific institutions. In practice, I have close to a decade of experience working with scientists, diplomats, and policymakers on science diplomacy issues, with a focus on promoting cross-border scientific collaborations in regions of conflict, through my activities with the Malta Conferences Foundation.

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Zajdela, E.R.; Huynh, K.; Feig, A.L.; Wiener, R.J. & Abrams, D.M. Face-to-face or face-to-screen? A quantitative comparison of conferences modalities. PNAS Nexus, [accepted]

Zajdela, E.R., Huynh, K., Wen, A. T., Feig, A. L., Wiener, R. J., & Abrams, D. M. (2022). Dynamics of social interaction: Modeling the genesis of scientific collaboration. Physical Review Research, 4(4), L042001. https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.L042001

Said M, Zajdela E.R., Stathopoulos A. (2022) Accelerating Adoption of Disruptive Technologies: Impact of COVID-19 on Intentions to Use On-Demand Autonomous Vehicle Mobility Services. Transportation Research Record. doi:10.1177/03611981221099276

Parsons, K.; Tingley, P.; Zajdela, E.R. (2021) When to Hold ’Em, Mathematics Magazine, 94:3, 201-212, DOI: 10.1080/0025570X.2021.1908785, https://doi.org/10.1080/0025570X.2021.1908785

 Zajdela, E.R. & Lerman, Z. (2021). Malta X Anniversary and COVID-19. Chemistry International, 43(2), 16-19. https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2021-0204

WORK IN PROGRESS

Zajdela, E.R. & Abrams, D.M. Phase chimera states: Frozen patterns of disorder. https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.06190

Zajdela, E.R.; White, J.H.; Kohlberg, E.; Caticha, A. & Abrams, D.M. Back in fashion: Modeling the cyclical dynamics of trends.

Tingley, P.; Zajdela, E.R. Bet sizing in half-street poker.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Zajdela, E.R. & Landry, N.W. “Hypergraph Methods for Predicting Team Formation in Science.” In Hypergraph Methods in Intelligence Analysis, edited by Hasenjager, M., Fefferman, N. and Bailey, M. [invited chapter; in prep]

ARTICLES

Mauzerall, D. & Zajdela, E.R. Trip Report: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (C-PREE), School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, February 13, 2024.

Zajdela, ER. Catalyzing Collaborations: Modeling the Dynamics of Scientific Collaboration at Conferences. SIAM News Blog, January 21 2022, https://sinews.siam.org/Details-Page/catalyzing-collaborations-modeling-the-dynamics-of-scientific-collaboration-at-conferences.

Guest editorial: Lerman, ZM; Zajdela, ER Malta conferences use science diplomacy as a bridge to peace in the Middle East. Chem. Eng. News, March 16, 2020, 98 (10), p. 2. https://cen.acs.org/education/outreach/Malta-conferences-use-science-diplomacy/98/i10.

Reprinted by permission:

Zajdela, E.R. SPOTlight: Science Diplomacy in the Middle East. Science Policy Outreach Taskforce Newsletter, December 2019. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.northwestern.edu/dist/0/3810/files/2020/04/December-Newsletter-2.pdf