Every model has a story, every story has a model
Our Story
​ Formerly known as the Human Dynamics Lab, our journey began with a focus on simulating human behavior in complex situations. Using data, we simulated behavior with agent-based models. An additional area of focus was cybersecurity. As we grew, our mission evolved, leading us to tackle global issues and we started simulating migration and refugee situations. ​​
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The Storymodelers was born out of this evolution, as we embarked on fieldwork in Cape Town. We needed a name that reflected our new identity. We shift towards being more empirically grounded (primary data such as direct observation and experiments), data-driven social modeling. Our work became increasingly dynamic.
​ COVID-19 played a pivotal role in shaping who we are today. The beginning of the pandemic brought about many barriers and threatened our funded projects. Instead of halting our efforts, the pandemic fueled our growth in size, reach, and the scope of our ideas. We expanded our interdisciplinary collaborations, bringing together researchers, faculty, and students who were social scientists, engineers, education researchers, and mathematicians to understand and address complex global challenges from multiple perspectives.
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The strength of Storymodelers lies in our unwavering commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, something we fully embrace. We are a diverse group of people from different disciplines, countries, and career stages, united by a shared mission. The spark that drives us comes from our students, who are deeply motivated by the global impact of our research. Those who stay with us do so because they believe in the work we do and share in our vision. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, yet they all contribute to carrying our mission forward. While we provide the foundation, it is their self-motivation and passion that truly bring The Storymodelers to life. Without our students, The Storymodelers would not exist—they are an essential part of what makes us who we are.
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As we continue to progress forward, our ultimate goal is to be THE point of reference of “radical” interdisciplinary research, pushing the boundaries of computational modeling to explore difficult and important challenges. We’re committed to advancing on three fronts: studying global challenges, employing disruptive methods, and fostering diversity of thought.
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We invite you to join us on this journey as we continue to push the limits of what’s possible in social modeling.