Chiara Lisciandra

My first project continues my study of norms and norm change, both in science and in broader society. I’ve approached this subject from multiple angles, combining a variety of methods—such as probabilistic models and agent-based models to understand how norms emerge and evolve in society, experimental analysis on norm compliance, and quantitative work on the measurement of norms. In this area, I’m currently preparing a monograph titled Cooperation and Coordination in Game Theory, which is under contract with Cambridge University Press—Element Series in Decision Theory and Philosophy.

My research on norms is highly interdisciplinary, involving collaboration with scientists from various fields—among which psychology, economics, and mathematics. While working in interdisciplinary groups, I have become interested in the role of norms in scientific practice and made this the topic of my current research. On the one hand, I study how scientists from different domains combine their explanatory norms; on the other hand, I am interested in the science policy dimensions of this debate and, in particular, what science policy facilitates collaboration across fields. To give some examples, I consider open-access policy, systems for research assessment, research funding, and scientific freedom.  

Finally, I will be working on a project examining the role that systems for organizing scientific literature play in the development of science. Here, I consider questions such as how scientists navigate the literature when conducting research. More broadly, I think of academic libraries as meta-scientific instruments that scientists can use to discover relevant knowledge and develop it further. With the introduction of (AI) literature search systems—such as Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar and the Web of Science—we are witnessing an explosion of search systems that complement university library catalogs and multiply scientists’ search options. Given the increasing role that such systems play in research, we need to ensure that they fulfill scientific aims and values, that they are accurate and represent the scientific landscape fairly.