Collaboration with "Connected Minds", York University, Canada

People standing in front of a building
Researchers from the clusters Connected Minds and Collective Behaviour at York University, November 2023.

Welcome to the “Collaborative technology and emergent behaviour” initiative.

This project unites scholars from Connected Minds at York University, Canada and the Cluster of Excellence Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz, Germany. Our mission is to foster collaboration and innovation in the intersections of technology and human behaviour, fostering innovative research and collaborative solutions.

Our Focus Areas: 

Both institutions explore a diverse range of central research topics related to collaborative technology and emergent behaviour. To efficiently leverage synergies in research, collaboration is taking place or is planned in the following areas:

  • Collective decision making 
  • Polarization in social networks 
  • Distributed consensus and blockchains 
  • Opinion dynamics in social networks 
  • Dynamics of fashion 
  • Ingroup-outgroup behaviour and social biases 
  • Emergent social behaviour: greeting, handshake, eye contact, mutual gaze, joint attention 
  • Coordinated motor behaviour (team sports, coordinated lifting/transport) 
  • Cooperation, competition, empathy 
  • Interindividual synchrony, hyperscanning
  • Social robotics
  • Collaborative technology, VR, social media  
  • Shared perception, shared spaces  
  • Behavioural and perceptual dynamics of audiences in art and performance 
  • Experimental approaches including animal models   
  • Computational models  
  • Physiological and neuronal underpinnings of social behaviour  
  • Reality formation 

Kick-off exchange meeting

In November 2023 a delegation from the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behaviour visited the Cluster Connected Minds. The aim of the visit to York University was to strengthen the partnership.

Nikolaus Troje, Canadian Research Chair for Reality Research at York University, initiated the exchange during his time as a guest researcher in the Couzin lab. He says: “What had started as a vague idea during the CASCB Spring Retreat materialized into a vibrant and productive three-day visit. Common ground was apparent, and there was close interaction. Professional relations were established, and the first collaborative initiatives developed. I am now looking forward to building support structures to consolidate these relations.”

The highlight at York University was a glimpse into its spectacular laboratories, such as the BioMotion Lab. In-depth scientific presentations by the researchers and one-on-one meetings to plan further collaborations rounded off the programme.

Read more about the initial meeting in the Collective Behaviour annual report 2023.

Follow-up exchange meeting

In August 2024 a delegation of eight researchers from the Cluster of Connected Minds visited the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behaviour in Konstanz. The aim of the visit was to foster innovative research and collaborative solutions.

“With this year’s exchange meeting in Konstanz, another key step towards closer collaboration has been taken. I am pleased that a special focus is being placed on the advancement and mobility of early career researchers,” says Alexandra Wild, Science Manager at CASCB, who coordinates the initiative in Konstanz.

The visit included lectures, lab tours, and numerous direct exchanges. A highlight was the insight gained into the Imaging Hangar.

Read more about the follow-up meeting here.

Fostering exchange and cooperation

A formal agreement between the two universities was signed in summer 2024 with the goal to establish a program of exchange and cooperation between principal investigators and their research groups, and to facilitate the promotion of young researchers. CASCB has also engaged in a formal direct partnership agreement with Connected Minds.

About Connected Minds

New technologies are revolutionizing society, creating a 'techno-social collective' where humans and intelligent technologies are deeply interconnected. While such advances present exciting opportunities, they also present significant risks, especially for vulnerable and/or marginalized populations. The Connected Minds Program – supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, York and Queens’ Universities, and our many partners from multiple sectors – envisions a world where breakthroughs in technology promote social health and justice for all, with special focus on Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Further information.

About the Cluster of Excellence Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour

The Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour aims to create a global hotspot for the integrated study of collective behaviour across a wide range of species and across scales of organization. It is a Cluster of Excellence within the framework of the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments.

 

Science Management

If you would like to learn more about this initiative, please do not hesitate to email Science Manager Alexandra Wild