Fall Convening

October 15-16, 2019

University of Chicago

Learn More

In partnership with the University of Chicago Provost Office and the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at the University of Chicago, The Science of Diversity and Inclusion Initiative (SODI) brings together leading researchers and organizations to form a living laboratory that catalyzes high impact innovations in diversity and innovation. SODI fuels researchers advancing the science by convening its network of over 40 behavioral science researchers - representing the fields of economics, psychology, and other social sciences - who have expertise in the areas of diversity and inclusion.

Featured Speakers

Renée Adams

Professor of Finance, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Jarik Conrad

Sr. Director of Human Capital Management Innovation for Ultimate Software

Manish Goel

CEO and Co-Founder, TrustSphere

John List

Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics, University of Chicago

Gregory Walton

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Michael Forman Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, Stanford University

Convening Themes

Past convenings (2017 and 2018) have included keynotes such as Marianne Bertrand, Iris Bohnet, Kathy Phillips, Amanda Pallais, Patrick McKay, and executive-level representatives from major corporations such as Google, GE, BlackRock, Prudential, PNC Bank. Several research collaborations and projects emerged from researcher-company teams formed at the convenings – field experiments in companies as well as lab experiments. Early findings from some of these experiments will be presented at the upcoming convening in October.

In addition to keynote and research talks at this year's convening, participating researchers will have the opportunity to brainstorm with technology partners (Ultimate Software and TrustSphere) on creating experiments or gathering existing data using their technology platforms. There will also be facilitated discussions on designing and running experiments with higher education partners, such as University of Chicago and UCLA, to advance research in diversity and inclusion (gender, ethnicity, age, SEC, etc.).

You can find the profiles of researchers who will be attending the 2019 Convening here.

Agenda

October 15

  • Latest research findings from top behavioral scientists
  • Presentations from technology partners and discussions on the opportunities for research collaborations using cutting-edge tech platforms
  • Best practices on launching research collaborations with companies

October 16

  • Latest research findings from top behavioral scientists
  • Workshops on potential research collaborations with higher education institutions and tech companies
  • Deep dive discussions on the areas of greatest interest to companies, higher education institutions, and technology partners as we look to future SODI events

Who Should Attend

Researchers

SODI works with mid-level and senior researchers, as well as promising junior-level researchers, who are working on topics in the diversity space.

Higher Education Administrators

Leaders who provide broad perspective on diversity and inclusion in colleges and universities and who have the influence to champion experiments inside their institutions.

Technology Partners

Experts who can speak to the latest research and evidence on effective uses of technology to address challenges in diversity and inclusion.

While the primary audience for the Fall 2019 convening is researchers, higher education administrators, and technology partners, we welcome company representatives who are interested in attending.

Past Convenings

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