Mission
CERSP leads in understanding how innovations in AI and machine learning merge with traditional quantitative methods to develop a new science of foresight in order to support and re-strengthen democracy.
The Long-Term Vision
The Center for Explanatory Research and Scientific Prediction (CESRP) is envisioned as a long-term initiative with a total funding need of $2 million/year. This support will:
- Sustain three senior researchers and a team of postdocs and data scientists.
- Produce high-impact outputs — working papers, books, policy briefs, and public-facing data dashboards.
- Convene policymakers, academics, and technologists to develop a new science of foresight.
By the end of this period, CESRP will be the global hub for research on quantitative methods, prediction, and improving the future of democracy.
Meet CeRSP Leadership
Chiara Binelli, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Programs Director
Dr. Binelli oversees CERSP’s methodological and interdisciplinary research agenda. Her work focuses on the foundations of explanatory and predictive social science, with leadership over the following programs:
· Predict to Explain
· YAI?
· Women of Social Sciences in Data Science (WINDS)
Matthew Loveless, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Programs Director
Dr. Loveless leads CERSP’s research on democracy, political behavior, and future-oriented governance. His programmatic responsibilities include: · Predict to Explain · Democracy in the Future
James F. Downes, Ph.D.
Europe-Asia Programs Director
Dr. Downes directs CERSP’s Europe–Asia research initiatives, with a focus on global politics, international relations and public policy, including:
· EU-China Relations
· Global and Far-Right Populism & Immigration in Europe