NUS CSSH Launch: Merging AI, Data Science with Humanities for Social Insights

🚀 NUS Unveils CSSH: A New Era in Interdisciplinary Research

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has officially launched the Centre for Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH), marking a groundbreaking fusion of artificial intelligence (AI), data science, and traditional humanities disciplines. Established on July 16, 2024, and kicking off operations in the latter half of that year, the centre's formal inauguration on March 4, 2026, underscores Singapore's push towards innovative solutions for pressing societal challenges. This initiative brings together over 105 researchers from diverse fields, including computing, linguistics, public policy, geography, and healthcare, to harness vast digital datasets for deeper social insights.

In a nation where rapid digital transformation intersects with complex social dynamics—like an ageing population, urban sustainability, and cultural preservation—CSSH positions NUS as a global leader in computational social science. By blending machine learning algorithms, natural language processing (NLP), and large language models (LLMs) with qualitative humanities expertise, the centre aims to predict public opinion, simulate policy outcomes, and safeguard cultural heritage.

Defining CSSH: Mission and Interdisciplinary Core

At its heart, CSSH serves as a nexus for interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating computational tools with social sciences and humanities inquiries. The centre addresses the escalating complexity of social phenomena enabled by abundant digital data from social media, online platforms, and historical archives. Unlike siloed research, CSSH fosters 'matchmaking' between tech-savvy computing experts and domain specialists in humanities, enabling scalable analyses that were previously infeasible.

Co-directed by Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli from the NUS School of Computing and Professor Peter Millican from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), CSSH provides seed funding for nascent ideas and scales them into major projects. Deputy directors Associate Professor Dandan Qiao (Computing) and Associate Professor Miguel Escobar Varela (FASS) bring specialized expertise in AI simulations and digital humanities, respectively. This structure ensures rigorous, evidence-based outputs that influence policy and practice.

Core Research Themes Shaping Social Insights

CSS H organizes its work around five pivotal themes, each tackling real-world applications:

• AI and Computational Models of Human Behaviour: Developing algorithms to simulate decision-making and predict societal responses.
• Digital Platforms and Ecosystems: Analyzing consumer welfare, misinformation, and platform governance.
• Health and Social Care: Enhancing care for vulnerable groups via digital tools and predictive analytics.
• Social Media, Networks, and Interactions: Mapping polarization, digital literacy, and online interactions.
• Texts, Heritage, and Culture: Digitizing and interpreting historical documents for cultural preservation.

These themes reflect Singapore's priorities, supported by the Ministry of Education's (MOE) Social Science Research Council (SSRC), which allocated S$556 million—the largest tranche yet—for humanities and social sciences research over five years.

Flagship Project: Computational Social Simulations for Policy Design

One standout initiative is the five-year "Computational Social Simulations for Aiding Policy Design" project, funded by MOE SSRC. Led by Prof Kankanhalli, it involves 14 principal investigators and collaborators from NUS, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU), and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Partners include the National Heritage Board (NHB), National University Health System (NUHS), and HDB Health District @ Queenstown.

The platform uses LLMs to create 'public personas' from offline data, simulating responses to policies on heritage conservation, sustainability, preventive health, and more. This step-by-step process—data ingestion, persona generation, scenario simulation, outcome prediction—reduces costs of traditional surveys (often hundreds of thousands of dollars) while capturing underrepresented voices like the elderly. Validation through field studies ensures accuracy, offering policymakers rapid, iterative testing before real-world rollout.

Prof Kankanhalli notes, "Our goal is not just to analyse social problems, but to help shape systems that work better for people."

Preserving Singapore's Heritage: The Jawi AI Project

In the realm of cultural preservation, the Jawi AI Project, led by Assoc Prof Escobar Varela, employs optical character recognition (OCR) and AI transliteration to convert pre-1970s Malay-language Jawi script newspapers (1870–1970) into searchable Romanized Malay text. Collaborating with the National Library Board (NLB), the project, started in June 2025, aims for completion by August 2026.

This enables historians, families, and the public to explore Singapore's history—neighborhoods, events, personal stories—previously inaccessible due to script obsolescence. Plans include expanding to Mandarin and Tamil for a multilingual heritage archive. Assoc Prof Escobar Varela highlights, "That’s something we couldn’t have done with the Jawi newspapers."

Beyond Jawi, CSSH explores divorce judgment analyses using LLMs on over one million cases, linking motives to demographics and macro-factors like GDP and urbanization—initially China data, scaling to Singapore.

Collaborations and Broader Ecosystem Impact

CSS H's strength lies in partnerships: government bodies (NHB, NLB, NUHS), industry, and universities. Over 50 projects already underway demonstrate rapid momentum. This mirrors Singapore's ecosystem, complementing SMU-A*STAR's 2022 AI lab for national challenges like ageing and polarization.

External collaborations extend to events like the Singapore History + AI Hackathon (Jan 31, 2026) and seminars on digital libraries with language models. For more details, visit the official CSSH website.

Alignment with Singapore's Higher Education and National Goals

Singapore's higher education landscape emphasizes responsible AI, with NUS (QS #8 globally) leading. CSSH supports SSRC priorities amid demographic shifts—ageing society, social mobility—using computational insights for inclusive growth. NUS Deputy President Prof Liu Bin affirms, "CSSH reflects NUS’ commitment to ensuring that innovation translates to tangible improvements."

In a region facing digital divides, the centre promotes digital literacy for vulnerable communities and ethical AI governance. Read NUS's full announcement here.

Educational Programs and Talent Development

CSS H isn't just research-focused; it offers training via workshops, hackathons, and interdisciplinary courses. Students gain hands-on experience in NLP, AI ethics, and data ethics, preparing for roles in policy, tech, and academia. NUS's integration with computing and FASS curricula ensures graduates are versatile.

• Workshops on AI for social simulations
• Hackathons blending history and tech
• Seminars on computational humanities

Explore university jobs or faculty positions at NUS and partners.

Career Opportunities in Computational Social Science

The launch opens doors for researchers, data scientists, and humanities scholars. Roles span AI modelers, policy analysts, digital archivists—high-demand in Singapore's tech ecosystem. With full employment rates in NUS computing grads (median S$6.5k), CSSH accelerates careers.

Check higher ed jobs, Singapore academic opportunities, or paths to lecturing. Rate professors via Rate My Professor.

Future Outlook: Global Leadership from Singapore

Looking ahead, CSSH aims to lead globally in CSSH, influencing policy via evidence-based simulations and heritage digitization. As Singapore invests in AI literacy (e.g., MOE COS 2026 reforms), the centre will expand projects, fostering inclusive tech.

Prof Millican emphasizes breaking silos: "CSSH provides a natural home for such interdisciplinary conversations." Stay tuned for hackathons and publications.

Photo by Chunjiang on Unsplash

Why CSSH Matters for Singapore's Future

CSS H exemplifies how Singapore's universities drive societal progress. By merging AI precision with humanistic depth, it equips policymakers, educators, and citizens. Interested in contributing? Visit higher-ed-jobs, rate-my-professor, higher-ed-career-advice, university-jobs, or post a job.

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