2026 CSS Escape: Experiments around AI Futures Engineering

On Friday, February 20, 2026, the UC Davis Designated Emphasis in Computational Social Science hosted its annual daylong conference at the scenic Stonegate Country Club in Davis, CA. Over 70 scholars attended, showcasing 25 presentations from researchers spanning 9 different disciplines: Communication, Sociology, Philosophy, Computer Science, Education, Public Health Sciences, Information Science, Physics & Geology, and Political Science. The audience was composed of approximately 60% PhD students, 15% undergraduate researchers, 15% faculty, and post-docs and industry scholars, reflecting the broad and inclusive reach of computational social science at UC Davis.

The UC Davis Center for AI and Experimental Futures (CAIEF) and the UC Davis AI Center in Engineering co-sponsored the event and together offered $2,000 in prize money for the best AI research presented. The event’s structure was carefully optimized for interactivity and meaningful exchange. Across five thematic sessions, each presenter delivered a focused 7-minute flash talk, followed by a collectively decentralized 25-minute Q&A period designed to facilitate deeper, personalized one-on-one conversations between presenters and audience members. This format allowed attendees to engage directly with the research that resonated most with them, fostering the kind of substantive dialogue that traditional conference formats often lack. 

CSS Escape 2026 in Session

“The CSS Escape was an excellent opportunity to meet with computational scholars across UC Davis and get much needed encouragement and feedback on my research at a time of rapid change in text analysis driven by AI/LLMs. I left with plenty of new ideas for my project and people to potentially partner with on future projects,” said Patrick Wade (PhD Student, Dpt. of Sociology). Jason Singson (PhD Student, Dpt. of Public Health Sciences) added: “Personally, computational methods have been something I felt intimidated by, where to begin and incorporate in my field of public health. This conference really helped me demystify generative AI within research.” Salman Khawar (PhD Student, Dpt. of Communication), summed up the ethos of the event: “The best part is that the CSS Escape provides a platform for researchers to even showcase their half-baked research ideas in front of a diverse, well-informed, and engaged audience."

The event was equally transformative for undergraduate researchers, like Paavana Shankar: “This was my very first time presenting a research idea of my own. I’m glad I had the opportunity to talk about a subject that I’m passionate about.” The conference’s collaborative atmosphere extended well beyond the formal sessions. Alex Lau (PhD Student, Dpt. of Philosophy; AI Ethics Lab) noted: “Our lab was super excited and grateful to be able to join, especially since it is the first time we’ve presented to such a large audience! Many from our lab stayed for the happy hour after and had a good time discussing our projects with people afterwards which will really help with improving and fine-tuning our topic.”

CSS 2026 Socializing

The DE CSS Executive Committee, including Prof. Martin Hilbert (DE CSS Chair), Prof. Seth Frey (Chair Membership), Prof. Shelley Blozis (Chair Education), and student representatives Jennifer Krebsbach (PhD student, Sociology), Rachael Kee (PhD student, Communication), and Jane He (PhD student, Psychology) hosted this fully catered event, including lunch, snacks, and a happy hour reception for all participants.

 
 

The quality of AI research presented at the conference was exceptional, and the co-sponsoring AI centers recognized outstanding work with the following awards:

Best AI Research Award:

Antoinette Banks (PhD Candidate, School of Education): Racially Differentiated Linguistic Patterns in IEP (Individualized Education Program) Documents

Best AI Innovation Awards:

Patrick Wade (PhD Student, Dpt. of Sociology): The Logic(s) of a Dissent: Federal Reserve Decision-Making

Jason Singson (PhD Student, Dpt. of Public Health Sciences): Sensemaking During Law Enforcement Use-of-Force

Rachael Kee (PhD Candidate, Dpt. of Communication): A Year in the Making: Introducing Inoxity, an app to track sleep

Ashley Hanmore (Undergraduate Researcher), Crace Macasaet (Undergraduate Researcher), Rachel McKenzie (PhD student, Dpt. of Communication), Sofia Rhea (PhD student, Dpt. of Communication), and Allyson Snyder (PhD student, Dpt. of Communication): Sex, Drugs & LLMs: LGBTQ+ Adolescents & Sexual Health

Paavana Shankar (Undergraduate Researcher), Katherine Ong (Undergraduate Researcher), Deborah Tiner (Undergraduate Researcher), Sofia Rhea (PhD student, Dpt. of Communication), and Allyson Snyder (PhD student, Dpt. of Communication): AI Integration In Medical Care for Menopause

Mateo Mijares (Undergraduate Researcher, AI Ethics Lab), Ayushi Kishore (Undergraduate Researcher, AI Ethics Lab), and Qiannan Li (Assistant Professor, Dpt. of Philosophy): AI and Moral Reasoning

Jack Jacobs (Undergraduate Researcher, AI Ethics Lab), Alex Lau (PhD student, Philosophy), Alexis Woods (Undergraduate Researcher, AI Ethics Lab), Amani El-Sheikh (Undergraduate Researcher), Daezhon Gilbarg (Undergraduate Researcher, AI Ethics Lab), Jackson Glaze (Undergraduate Researcher, AI Ethics Lab), Lillian Zhang (Undergraduate Researcher, AI Ethics Lab), and Qiannan Li (Assistant Professor, Dpt. of Philosophy): The Interesting Gap in AI Companions for Older Adults

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2025 CSS Escape: Engineering our Experimental AI Futures

On Friday, February 28, 2025, the UC Davis Designated Emphasis in Computational Social Science hosted a successful daylong Conference attended by over 65 scholars. The conference showcased 18 presentations from 14 different UC Davis programs.
 
We are proud to report that 14 out of the 16 submitted works (88%) were led and presented by female computational researchers, which is a sign of important changes in the field of technology and AI research that should not go unnoticed. PhD Candidate Allyson Snyder, who presented co-authored work with three female undergraduate researchers, concluded: "As young women thinking about their future careers, my students have been curious about academia but unsure of what this career looks like for women specifically. In reflecting on the conference, my students shared that they were motivated to attend future academic conferences, and they were excited to meet other women researching similar topics."
 
CSS 2025
The theme was "Engineering our Experimental AI Futures" and presentations included work from PhD students from Communication, Sociology, and Computer Science, Professors of Law and Cinema and Digital Media, and undergraduate researchers from Data Science and Cognitive Science. UC Davis DE CSS Chair Martin Hilbert said that "this event shows the extraordinary diversity and high quality of computational work across the UC Davis campus, and highlights the leadership UC Davis scholars are providing in cutting-edge AI research". The DE CSS Executive Committee, including Prof. Seth Frey (Chair Membership), Prof. Shelley Blozis (Chair Education), and Jennifer Krebsbach (Student Rep) hosted this fully catered event, including breakfast, lunch, happy hour reception, and dinner free for all participants.
 
CSS 2025 event
The event was co-sponsored by the newly founded UC Davis Center for AI and Experimental Futures (CAIEF) and the UC Davis AI Center in Engineering, which offered $1,000 in prize awards for the best AI research. The quality of the AI research presented at the conference was so high that 6 projects were recognized, three for Best Research and another three for Innovative Research ideas with high potential impact (following the tradition of discussing "half-baked" research ideas). A pattern emerged with awards honoring work that studies Large Language Models (LLMs) as subjects of study, and those that embrace AI for Health, Education, and Wellness impacts.
Award winner Rachael Kee reflected that the conference "fostered a unique opportunity for networking and collaboration for graduate students which is otherwise difficult to find. I've attended this escape for two years now, and I highly encourage any interested scholars to take up this invaluable, local opportunity to catapult their work quality and name in the field." 
 
PhD DE CSS candidate Emily McKinley sums up the event by saying: "The CSS Escape has evolved over the years to be the most valuable yet.... At a time when generative AI is rapidly reshaping communication research, I left inspired by the diverse network of researchers and grateful for the insightful feedback that will help refine my own work."
 
 
   Best Research Awards:

Emily McKinley (PhD student, UCD CMN), Abdulaziz Alhumaidy, Jingwen Zhang: Using LLMs to Synthesize Human Responses in Persuasive Context

Jennifer M. Krebsbach (PhD student, UCD Sociology): Analyzing Gendered Job Description Narrative Outputs by LLMs

Arezoo Ghasemzadeh, Arnav Akula, Sruthy Sabesan, Pearl Vishen (all UCD Undergraduate AI Student Collective), Martin Hilbert: Is Intimacy the New Attention? Audit of LLMs Intimacy

 

   Best Innovation Awards:

Allyson L. Snyder (PhD student, UCD CMN), Millie Fong, Ana Cervantes, Katherine Ong: Too Scared to Talk to Peers, Too Efficient to Meaningfully Engage with a Chatbot: AI for Math Tutoring

Emily Thatcher (PhD student, UCD Nursing Science & Healthcare Leadership): Drone vs. EMS Response Times for Naloxone Delivery in Rural Settings
 
Rachael Kee (PhD student, UCD CMN): A New Tool for Sleep Science

 
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2022 Computational Social Science Synergy Retreat​

 
Friday & Saturday, April 22-23, 2022 UC Quail Ridge Natural Reserve, Lake Berryessa​

agenda_1st_css_synergy_retreat_2022.pdf

Download File

 

View some photos from our 2022 CSS Retreat here