SONIC Research Group

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The Science of Networks in Communities (SONIC) research group advances social network theories, methods, and tools.

At the NU-Q RAWABET Conference “Shaping the AI-Empowered Future of Knowledge, Scholarship, and Creativity”, Professor Noshir Contractor delivered a presentation titled “AI-Augmented Scholarly System.” In it, he examined how AI is re-shaping scientific research through two paradigm shifts: altering the very objects of research, such as “algorithmically infused societies,” and transforming research conduct by evolving from substitution toward enlargement and reconfiguration.

@Noshir

We’re excited to share the publication of “Leading the crew to Mars: Evidence from NASA HERA analog crews” in Acta Astronautica!

This study explores how leadership unfolds in analog space missions, insights that can help prepare for the next bold human endeavor: a mission to Mars.

The article was co-authored by Alina Lungeanu, Leslie DeChurch, Megan Chan, and Noshir Contractor (@Noshir)

👉 Read the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/acta-astronautica/vol/237/suppl/C

Congratulations to the Network Canvas Team — winners of the 2025 William D. Richards, Jr. Software Award!

The Network Canvas Team developed a free, open-source tool for social network data collection, making groundbreaking research more accessible to the scholarly community.

Team members: Kate Banner, Michelle Birkett, Caden Buckhalt, Noshir Contractor, Bernie Hogan, Patrick Janulis, Joshua Melville, and Gregory Phillips II.

@Noshir

We are proud to celebrate our team’s achievement at the Academy of Management Conference in Copenhagen!

Our paper, “When Two is Too Many and Not Enough: Shared Leadership in Ancient Rome (32 to 491 CE)”, authored by Leslie DeChurch, Alina Lungeanu, Megan Chan, and Noshir Contractor, received the Sage Publishers Award for Best Management History Division Paper in Leadership.

@Noshir

We are proud to share that Megan Chan presented research at the Academy of Management (AoM) 2025 Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark!

Presentation Title: Closing the Loop: Multicommunicating in Multiteam Systems
Authors: Chan, M., Carter, D., DeChurch, L., & Contractor, N.
Date: July 25–29, 2025

Megan’s presentation sparked valuable discussions with leading scholars in the field, further advancing our understanding of team science and communication networks.

@Noshir

Congratulations to Dr. Neelam Modi on her commencement from Northwestern University!
Next, Neelam will be joining Columbia Business School as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Management Division and the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change.

📸 Pictured below: Neelam celebrating commencement alongside @Noshir , ,Dipika Modi, Jaymin Modi, and Jignesh Modi

Wishing her all the best in this next chapter!

Join us in congratulating Professor Noshir Contractor (Northwestern University) on receiving the ICA B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award. This award honors scholars who’ve made a lasting impact in the academic field of communication.

@Noshir

On June 9, SONIC Lab and @Noshir welcomed back Prof. Julia Neidhardt (TU Wien) for a talk on “Human-Centered Recommender Systems: Bridging User Modeling and Digital Humanism.” A former visiting scholar at SONIC, she now leads work at the intersection of AI and digital humanism.

Learn more about Julia's work here: https://informatics.tuwien.ac.at/people/julia-neidhardt

New research by Brian Uzzi, Noshir Contractor, Satyam Mukherjee, and Yun Huang shows teams are 1.6x more likely to win when they recruit from rival teams—not just for talent, but for insider knowledge.

Read: The Upside of Recruiting Your Rivals
https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the-upside-of-recruiting-your-rivals

Huge congratulations to SONIC Lab undergraduate researcher Faith Do for winning 2nd place in the Social and Behavioral Sciences category at Northwestern’s Undergraduate Research Expo! 👏

Under the guidance of SONIC PhD student Liangdongsheng (Simon) L,
her project, “A Network Analysis of AI Intervention in Human Teams,” explored the impact of AI on human collaboration using network analysis.

We’re proud of Faith for pushing the boundaries of research at the intersection of AI and team science