Project Summary
Diversity is highly valued in modern societies due to its positive impact on social cohesion, tolerance, and economic vibrancy. However, diversity is a complex issue with various attributes, and not all forms of diversity are beneficial. Academic collaboration, measured through co-authorships, provides an effective domain to study diversity and its impact on success. We explore homophily in scientific collaborations based on age, gender, affiliation, and ethnicity. We find signs of homophily in ethnicity, gender, and affiliation, with ethnicity showing a steady increase over time. Ethnic diversity is strongly associated with research impact. Additionally, diversity benefits groups more than individuals. We also examine the evolution of diversity over time, team size, and number of collaborators. This comprehensive analysis provides a richer understanding of diversity’s effects.
Publications
1. Bedoor K. AlShebli, Talal Rahwan, and Wei Lee Woon. “The preeminence of ethnic diversity in scientific collaboration.” Nature Communications (2018).
Media coverage: Nature News, Physics World.
2. Bedoor K. AlShebli, Tomasz P. Michalak, Oskar Skibski, Michael Wooldridge, and Talal Rahwan. “A measure of added value in groups.” ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems (2019)
Works in Progress
1. Bedoor AlShebli, “A tale of two countries: Age Diversity and Team Outcomes in China and the U.S.”
Talks
1. “The preeminence of ethnic diversity in scientific collaborations” at:
- Science of Innovation and Success Workshop (Waseda University, Japan),
- 9th Computational Social Science Satellite Event (Lyon, France),
- Path to the Professoriate – STEM Edition program, UC Berkley, CA,
- Gulf University of Science and Technology (Kuwait),
- Psychology Program Seminar Series (NYU Abu Dhabi).