Social Science Research Institute at Penn State

Daniel F. Perkins in College of Ag Sciences named distinguished professor | Social Science Research Institute Daniel F. Perkins, professor of family and youth resiliency and policy in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named a distinguished professor by Penn State’s Office of the Vice…

Daniel Perkins, prof of family & youth resiliency & policy in PSU's College of Ag Sciences, was named a distinguished professor by PSU's Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Perkins is the principal scientist & founder of SSRI's Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness.

SSRI part of Interactive map showcasing statewide community impact | Social Science Research Institute At Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, elementary school students participate in Outdoor School programs that immerse them in hands-on environmental learning. In South Williamsport, Penn College…

We're excited to announce that SSRI is part of a Penn State-wide interactive map showcasing statewide community impact. 🔗

PAMT (Prevention and Methodology Training) NIDA T32 Training fellowships are open | Social Science Research Institute Applications are now open for two-year pre-doctoral fellowships through the Prevention and Methodology Training (PAMT) Program (NIDA T32 Training fellowships). The program will begin on July 1,…

Applications for the two-year pre-doctoral PAMT (Prevention and Methodology Training) NIDA T32 Training fellowships are open. Program begins on July 1 and deadline is March 6 at 5pm. More Information ➡️

Penn State names new distinguished professors for 2026 | Social Science Research Institute Penn State's Office of Faculty Affairs has named 14 new distinguished professors for 2026, including:

PSU's Office of Faculty Affairs has named 14 new distinguished professors including: buff.ly/2tNHkMH
➡️ SSRI Cofunded Faculty Member Daniel Perkins, founding principal scientist of SSRI's Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness
➡️ PRI & QuantDev Affiliate David Almeida
➡️ SSRI Affiliate David Lee

UPDATE‼️ SSRI will host the Open House, "Subsalt: Stop Waiting for Health Data," on Monday, February 23 from 12pm-1pm on Zoom Only. 💻️ Phil Endres and David Vanness will lead the discussion. buff.ly/gawVJKo

SSRI Open House - Subsalt: Stop Waiting for Health Data | Social Science Research Institute What if you could start exploring real-world health questions now, instead of waiting weeks or months for data access? Join us to see how synthetic data can responsibly expand access, accelerate…

SSRI is hosting an Open House, "Subsalt: Stop Waiting for Health Data," on Monday, February 23 from 12pm-1pm in 110 Ford Building and Zoom. Phil Endres and David Vanness will lead the discussion.

A light lunch will be provided for in-person attendees, please register here ➡️

Consortium on Moral Decision-Making announces grant funding | Social Science Research Institute The Consortium on Moral Decision-Making at Penn State is seeking proposals for Ember Grants to support up-start interdisciplinary research related to the conceptual and empirical study of human…

PSU's Consortium on Moral Decision-Making seeks proposals for Ember Grants to support up-start interdisciplinary research related to the conceptual and empirical study of human morality and ethical decision-making. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 27 at 5PM EST. More ➡️

Trans and Queer Terrains Lab - Terrains of Normativity retreat On Saturday, April 11, 2026, we are hosting a daylong retreat for Penn State PhD students whose research ties to this year’s theme: Terrains of Normativity. We conceive of normativities broadly and…

The Trans & Queer Terrains (TQT) lab hosted within the departments of Applied Linguistics and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies is excited to invite PhD students whose research pertains to normativities to join us for a full-day retreat on Saturday, April 11!

Sustain Penn State to screen ‘Devil Put the Coal in the Ground’ on Feb. 11 | Social Science Research Institute Sustain Penn State will host a virtual screening of “Devil Put the Coal in the Ground” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, as part of its Intersections Film Series. The screening will be followed by a…

Sustain Penn State will host a virtual screening of “Devil Put the Coal in the Ground” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, as part of its Intersections Film Series. The screening will be followed by a moderated panel discussion. ➡️

SSRI Open House - Subsalt: Stop Waiting for Health Data | Social Science Research Institute A light lunch will be provided for in-person attendees, please register here.

SSRI is hosting an Open House, "Subsalt: Stop Waiting for Health Data," on Monday, February 23 from 12pm-1pm in 110 Ford Building and Zoom. Phil Endres and David Vanness will lead the discussion.

A light lunch will be provided for in-person attendees, please register here ➡️

Join us on Tuesday for the Spring Kickoff Event!

RSVP here: buff.ly/s9ImZWW

SSRI Open House - Career Agility for the 2026 Labor Market | Social Science Research Institute As the labor market shifts from the “Great Resignation” to “job hugging” and AI-driven uncertainty, social scientists are increasingly navigating career pivots rather than linear progression. This…

SSRI will host an Open House, "Career Agility for the 2026 Labor Market," on Mon. Feb. 16 from 12-1pm in 110 Ford Building/Zoom. Attendees must register, light lunch provided.

Home - Consortium on Moral Decision-Making Welcome to the Consortium on Moral Decision-Making A collaborative hub dedicated to unraveling the intricate threads of ethical choices. As a multidisciplinary alliance of scholars, thinkers, and…

The Consortium on Moral Decision-Making is hosting a spring kick-off reception in the Moore Building next Tuesday, February 10 from 4-5:30pm in the Atrium of Moore Building at the Penn State University Park campus. All are welcome. 🔗 buff.ly/s9ImZWW

Motivating Empathy and Moral Pluralism in Health Policy - C. Daryl Cameron, Paige Amormino, Joel E. Segel, 2026 Health policy is motivated by a variety of factors including moral concerns, values and convictions. Policymakers are motivated to consider how constituents and...

Excited to see this out in print in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. It's the first publication with @amormino.bsky.social in the EMP Lab, along with Joel Segel from Health Policy and Administration. At a pivotal moment for empathy, we consider its role for policymaking 1/n

Burkhouse and Veturi receive early career professorship awards | Social Science Research Institute UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Katie Burkhouse, associate professor of psychology, and Yogasudha Veturi, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and statistics, were recently named as recipients of the…

PSU faculty members Katie Burkhouse and Yoghasudha Veturi have received SSRI's Frances Keesler Graham Early Career Professorship. ➡️

Lloyd Prize for Innovative Health Research seeks proposals | Social Science Research Institute Penn State emeritus professor Tom Lloyd and the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) invite proposals for the annual Lloyd Prize for Innovative Health Research at Penn State.

Proposals for the Lloyd Prize for Innovative Health Research are now open. Due on Mar. 10, applications are open to faculty, employees, postdocs, fellows & full-time grad students in the College of Health & Human Development. ➡️

Additionally, we invite you to present your work on substance use and addiction during our Research Talks and Poster Session for the CSUA Conference. More Info 🔗 buff.ly/tAV2RXB

Registration is open for the 7th Annual Consortium on Substance Use & Addiction Conference! To be held all-day on Mon. May 4, this free event is open to all. Please register now ➡️ buff.ly/tcK6MtD

Penn State’s Child Study Center to host 2026 Innovation Hub Symposium | Social Science Research Institute “Community Engaged Research for Public Impact: Process to Policy” is the theme of the Penn State Child Study Center’s (CSC) 2026 Innovation Hub Symposium taking place on Friday, Feb. 6, in the…

Community Engaged Research for Public Impact: Process to Policy” is the theme of the Penn State Child Study Center’s (CSC) 2026 Innovation Hub Symposium taking place on Friday, Feb. 6, in the Nittany Lion Inn Ballroom at University Park. Register Now ➡️

Online gambling participation increased in Pennsylvania in 2025, report finds | Social Science Research Institute Online gambling in Pennsylvania continues to increase, according to the 2025 Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report. The assessment was co-authored by researchers in Penn…

Online gambling in PA continues to increase, according to the 2025 PA Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report. The assessment was co-authored by researchers in PSU’s Criminal Justice Research Center & developed under contract with the PA Dept of Drug & Alcohol Programs.

Buxton featured on “Sleep Quality, Not Quantity” Podcast | Social Science Research Institute Orfeu Buxton, SSRI cofunded faculty member and associate director at SSRI and CTSI, was featured on The Last Show with David Cooper Podcast in an episode titled “Sleep Quality, Not Quantity” released…

Orfeu Buxton, SSRI cofunded faculty member and associate director at SSRI and CTSI, was featured on The Last Show with David Cooper Podcast in an episode titled “Sleep Quality, Not Quantity” released January 16. ➡️

Contest puts AI-ready teaching to the test | Social Science Research Institute UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) has announced the “Teach-a-thon,” a competition celebrating innovative teaching practices in…

Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) has announced the “Teach-a-thon,” a competition celebrating innovative teaching practices in response to the rise of large language models and generative AI. The virtual event is open to all PSU faculty. ➡️

Fathers’ early interactions with babies may affect child health years later | Social Science Research Institute How a new father behaves toward his baby can change family dynamics in a way that affects the child’s heart and metabolic health years later, according to a new study by researchers in the Penn State…

In a new study, recently published in Health Psychology, researchers found that fathers who were warm and developmentally supportive with their babies at 10 months of age had more positive co-parenting with the child’s mother when the child was two years old. ➡️

Center for Socially Responsible AI awards seed funding to seven diverse projects | Social Science Research Institute The Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) has announced the results of its most recent seed-funding competition. The center awarded more than $152,000 to seven…

The Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) has announced the results of its most recent seed-funding competition. The center awarded more than $152,000 to seven interdisciplinary research projects representing six colleges. ➡️

Zoom Link ➡️ buff.ly/sxcA8FL

UPDATE‼️ Our Open House, "Finetuning LLMs in Python for Survey Response Classification" on Mon. Jan. 26 from 12-1pm will move to VIRTUAL ONLY 💻 due to the impending snowstorm. Stay inside and join us on Zoom ➡️ buff.ly/d368xYM

Estate commitment to enhance resources for students from foster care system | Social Science Research Institute Building on her early career advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children, Penn State graduate Rosemary Katchmar has come forward with a $200,000 estate commitment that will benefit the…

Building on her early career advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children, Penn State graduate Rosemary Katchmar has come forward with a $200,000 estate commitment that will benefit the Fostering Lions Program. ➡️

SSRI Open House - University-State Agency Partnerships: The Elevate Pennsylvania Initiative | Social Science Research Institute Drs. Joel Segel, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration - Penn State, and Glenn Sterner, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice - University of Kentucky, will share updates on…

SSRI is hosting an Open House, "University-State Agency Partnerships: The Elevate Pennsylvania Initiative," on Mon. Feb. 2 from 12-1pm in 110 Ford Building/Zoom. Register Now ➡️

New Penn State Cores Facility Website | Social Science Research Institute Penn State Research has recently launched a new website for core facilities. These facilities offer critical specialized instrumentation, services, and guidance to researchers and businesses. The…

Penn State Research has recently launched a new website for core facilities. These facilities offer critical specialized instrumentation, services, and guidance to researchers and businesses. ➡️

Virtual Event: Reporting on Drug Policy and the Pennsylvania Legislative Agenda | Social Science Research Institute Join the Central Pennsylvania Scholars Strategy Network for a timely virtual conversation with two leading Pennsylvania journalists: Stephen Caruso (Spotlight PA), who covers the governor’s office…

The Central PA Scholars Strategy Network is hosting a virtual convo about reporting on drug policy and the PA legislative agenda with Stephen Caruso and Ed Mahon from Spotlight PA on Fri. Jan. 23 from 1-2pm. Register ➡️