Social and Decision Analytics
Our Team
Solving social challenges requires knowledge and perspectives from across multiple disciplines. Our team includes statisticians, economists, public health experts, mathematicians and social psychologists, all working together to understand how information about populations combines to reveal new truths. We are located in Arlington, Virginia, a stone’s throw from Washington, D.C., and in close proximity to state and federal policymakers.
Our Areas of Focus
Our work is as diverse as the data we use. From the health of a neighborhood, to soldier performance and the very ability of local governments and communities to harness the power of their own data, we focus on four key social challenges.
The Science of All Data
At the core of our research is a unique approach to addressing complex problems called, the Science of All Data. There are several facets to our approach from how we partner with stakeholders to what kind of data we use to our framework for actually doing data science, all of which are anchored by a strong bedrock of ethics.
A 21st Century Curated Data Enterprise
The Framers of our U.S. Constitution laid the cornerstone for the federal statistical system by requiring a decennial census as the basis for apportioning the House of Representatives. Over the next 233 years, the U.S. Census Bureau’s mission has expanded to serve as the nation’s leading provider of comprehensive, quality data about its people and the economy. To achieve this mission, the Census Bureau has made a steady set of innovations to modernize its data collection and dissemination. For its next innovation, the Census Bureau has partnered with the Biocomplexity Institute to create a Curated Data Enterprise (CDE). The CDE is both an infrastructure and a continuous evolving ambition to empower and enable Census Bureau scientists and their data users to progress from a focus on individual data elements or surveys items to one focused on the purpose and use of the information.
We welcome you to explore this next wave of innovation.
Data Science for the Public Good
Sallie Keller
Division Director, Social and Decision Analytics
As leaders in data science research, we hold ourselves accountable and push to champion research and public policy on public good issues that will shape a healthy future for communities around the world.
Stephanie Shipp
Deputy Director, Social and Decision Analytics
Our Forum events take the discussion out into the community and to the public at large in an effort to encourage more civic engagement and strategic planning for the good of society.
Our Data Science for the Public Good internship introduces students to the field of data science in a way that provides experiential learning alongside research mentors to get students interested in civic engagement by focusing on real-world, public good projects.
Work with Us
We are able to do the type of research we do because of the people we partner with, and the people we hire.
We’re fortunate to work with global partners and sponsors from all segments of government, global foundations, academia, and industry to solve society’s most complex challenges. We approach these problems by assembling teams of experts in a variety of fields to work together and create solutions that challenge the very fields in which our teams operate.