Students work closely with one of the preceptors in the Master of Arts Program in Computational Social Science. Your preceptor will assist with your course selections, with your choice of faculty advisor for the MA paper, and with the development of the MA thesis, from the initial proposal through the submission of your final draft. You are strongly advised to make as much use of them as possible. You will also have ongoing mentorship and advice from our senior academic staff.

Sabrina Nardin

Assistant Instructional Professor in MACSS

1155 E. 60th Street
Room 221-A

Schedule an office hours appointment.

Dr. Nardin is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the Masters in Computational Social Science program. She is a sociologist focusing on cultural and political processes. Her work merges computational methods, such as network analysis and natural language processing, with qualitative approaches and historical research. 


Zhao Wang

Assistant Instructional Professor in MACSS

1155 E. 60th Street
Room 221

Schedule an office hours appointment.

Dr. Wang is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the Masters in Computational Social Science program. She is a computer scientist and her research is at the intersection of Machine Learning, Natural language Processing, and Social Media Analysis. She has conducted fundamental research to leverage computer science techniques to analyze large-scale online data, explore problems of social importance, and provide insights into social issues. For more information, please visit her homepage.


Sanja Miklin

MA Teaching Fellow, Computational Social Science

1155 E. 60th Street
Room 213A
(773) 834-6207

Schedule an office hours appointment.

Sanja received her PhD from the Department of Comparative Human Development in 2021 and is currently an MA Teaching Fellow in MACSS. Sanja has received interdisciplinary training spanning anthropology, sociolog, psychology, and linguistics, including both quantitative and qualitative methods. Her main interest is in the construction of social problems, and she uses a mixed-methods approach—including computational methods such as content and network analysis—to examine how scientific knowledge production, activism, policy, media, and public opinion interact in moving attention and resources to different concerns. Through this, she seeks to better understand how societies conceptualize risk, how they make decisions under uncertainty and material constraints, and how they are, or are not, orienting different efforts towards the future (e.g. with respect to global climate change, aging populations, different kinds of existential risks, etc.). Her PhD focuses on suicide and suicide prevention, so she also conducts research on suicide and mental health.

Sanja Miklin

Shilin Jia

MA Teaching Fellow, Computational Social Science

1155 E. 60th Street
Room 215A
(773) 702-6591

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Shilin’s research interest lies in applying computational methods to studies of politics and organizations.  He is experienced with network analysis, content analysis, and statistical modeling. His research includes studies of mobility patterns of communist party elites in China and changing rhetoric in the People’s Daily. For more information, please visit his homepage.


Pedro Alberto Arroyo

MA Teaching Fellow, Computational Social Science

1155 E. 60th Street
Room 217
(857)334-7166

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Pedro Alberto Arroyo is a postdoctoral Social Sciences Teaching Fellow in the Department of Sociology and the College. He holds a BA in sociology from Tufts University and a Masters of Education from Boston University. He is interested in exploring how individuals and groups make meaning of the social landscape as well as how these mental states shape collective action and social outcomes, often in unexpected ways. To accomplish this, Pedro Alberto uses a mixed-methods approach, including computational content analysis and archival research. He is currently working on a series of projects examining ballot initiatives aimed at promoting English-only public education.