From June 22 to June 29, KDI School of Public Policy and Management hosted the Summer Institutes in Computational Social Science (SICSS) at its Sejong Common Campus. This global initiative, originally launched at Princeton University in 2017, brings together graduate students, early-career researchers, and faculty members interested in computational methods for social science research. The program has since expanded to numerous partner locations worldwide, with each site organizing lectures, hands-on workshops, and collaborative research projects.

At SICSS-Korea 2025, Professors Jisung Yoon and Sungkyu Park of KDI School served as organizers. Notably, Professor Yoon, who participated in SICSS as a student three years ago, shared that organizing the program as a faculty member was a meaningful milestone in his academic journey. He opened the event with an orientation session and delivered a lecture on "Network Analysis & Embedding." Professor Park led two lectures covering "Data & AI Ethics" and "Experiment & LLM."

The event featured five core lectures and seven invited talks. Guest speakers included a diverse array of experts, such as Professor Seoyoung Kim (Seoul National University, Political Science) and Jaewoo Kim (CEO of 3SECONDZ). These talks provided participants not only with academic and industry insights but also with opportunities for 1:1 meetings, where students could seek personal advice and build meaningful connections.

20 participants attended this year’s program, including undergraduate and graduate students from institutions such as the University of Illinois, Indiana University, and KAIST, all sharing a strong interest in computational social science. Four students from the KDI School’s MDS program participated in SICSS-Korea.

Participants were grouped into five interdisciplinary teams and collaborated on original group projects, each reflecting diverse methodological approaches and research interests. Project topics included:

● K-STEM Faculty Hiring Analysis

● How Leadership Change Shapes Science and Technology Policy

● Quantifying Accessibility Loss Under Mobility Constraints: A Network-Based Approach

● Can We Empirically Show Campbell's Fish-Scale Model?

● The Symbolic Power and Changing Meanings of “민족” and “국민” in Korean Government Speeches

On the final day, Professor Yoon remarked, “You’re probably surprised at the quality of work you produced in just over a week. That’s the power of focusing on what each of you does best and creating synergy. I hope this experience taught you not only new knowledge but also the value of collaboration and the importance of building research networks.”

One KDI School participant shared, “It was a truly meaningful experience to engage with students from other institutions who share an interest in computational social science. I’m leaving with a lot of motivation and inspiration.”

Through initiatives like SICSS-Korea 2025, KDI School and its faculty remain committed to fostering academic growth and creating opportunities for students to build connections with researchers both within and beyond the institution.