Less is fun

Wentao's Homepage.

Follow me on GitHub

Octocat

  • Wentao Xu (Doctor of Informatics)
  • Associate Researcher
  • Department of Science and Technology of Communication, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
  • Research Interests: Intelligent psychology, computational social science, NLP, social networks, social media, artificial intelligence, larger language models.
  • Email: myrainbowandsky[aT]gmail.com

For perspective students

Are you ready to dive into cutting-edge research that bridges technology and society? We are looking for enthusiastic, open-minded, and creative thinkers to join our team as Ph.D. or Master’s students.

Our research focuses on computational social science, AI agents, complex networks, and large language models, offering a unique opportunity to explore the interplay between science, society, and technology. Whether your background is in STEM, social sciences, or politics, we believe in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to solve complex, real-world problems.

Why Join Us?

  • Innovative Research:
    We tackle timely and impactful topics, from understanding online discourse and misinformation to building AI-driven tools for social good.
  • Collaborative Environment:
    We value teamwork and encourage diverse perspectives. You’ll work alongside experts and peers who are passionate about making a difference.
  • Support for Your Ideas:
    Out-of-the-box thinking is not just welcomed—it’s encouraged! Bring your ideas to life with our supportive mentorship and resources.
  • Global Impact:
    Our research addresses global challenges, providing insights into human behavior, technology adoption, and policy-making.

What We Look For:

  • Enthusiasm and Communication Skills:
    We value curiosity and the ability to convey your ideas effectively.
  • Interdisciplinary Mindset:
    We’re seeking individuals who are open to exploring the intersections of technology, society, and policy.
  • Creative Problem-Solving:
    Your ability to think beyond conventional boundaries will make you a vital part of our team.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you! Join us in shaping the future of science and society. Let’s push boundaries and create meaningful change—together.

Ideas

Recently, agents have emerged as a prominent model for studying social science, particularly due to their utility in simulations. While large language models represent a significant milestone in artificial intelligence, they are not the ultimate form of AI but rather an initial and foundational stage. Since behavior arises from intricate psychological and cognitive processes, machines may eventually exhibit behavior governed by their own psychological and cognitive mechanisms. I refer to this phenomenon as intelligent psychology. Although large language models do not represent the final stage of AI development, they can, to some extent, simulate psychological processes. (December 5, 2024)

Dear Colleagues,

The Matthew effect is pervasive across scientific fields: researchers with greater resources and funding tend to produce more publications and garner more recognition, further attracting additional support. While it may seem fair that those with more advantages can tackle complex challenges, this creates a pyramid-like structure where those at lower levels face intensified competition and fewer opportunities.

This reality is especially challenging for young and talented researchers. Despite their potential, they often lack the financial resources, institutional support, and connections to prominent figures in the field. While they may be free to pursue their interests, they are not truly “independent” researchers.

To address this imbalance, I propose a simple yet powerful solution: collaboration. Let us work together, pooling our ideas, skills, and resources to pursue compelling research topics. By fostering cooperation and mutual support, we can create a win-win situation where every participant, regardless of their current standing, has the opportunity to produce impactful work.

Currently, we are exploring several exciting ideas in computational social science, and I aspire for our work to be published in leading journals such as Nature, Nature Communications, Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, Nature Machine Intelligence, and Nature Human Behaviour.

Let’s unite our efforts to demonstrate that “small names” can achieve extraordinary results. If you are interested in collaborating, I would be thrilled to discuss ideas and opportunities further.

Education:

  • Oct. 2019 - Sept. 2022 Doctor in Informatics, Department of Complex Systems Sciences, Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University, Japan .
  • Sept. 2009 - Aug. 2010 Master of Science in Industrial Economics (Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management), School of Industrial Engineering Management, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.
  • Sept. 2007 - Sept 2008 Master of Research in Regenerative Medicine, Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath, UK.

Publications

  • Wentao Xu 2024. Characterization of Political Polarized Users Attacked by Language Toxicity on Twitter. In Companion Publication of the 2024 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW Companion ‘24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 185–189. https://doi.org/10.1145/3678884.3681849
  • Wentao Xu (2024), et. al, A multidisciplinary framework for deconstructing bots’ pluripotency in dualistic antagonism, arXiv:2402.15119
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara(2023). Domain-based user embedding for competing events on social media. ArXiv, abs/2308.14806
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara (2022), “A Network-Based Approach to QAnon User Dynamics and Topic Diversity During the COVID-19 Infodemic”, APSIPA Transactions on Signal and Information Processing: Vol. 11: No. 1, e17,
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara Characterizing the roles of bots on Twitter during the COVID-19 infodemic. J Comput Soc Sc 5, 591–609 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-021-00139-3
  • Wentao Xu and Zihong Ye, Support Vector Machines Based Recognition of Human Core Promoter. Anhui Agricultural Science Bulletin, 2006; 12(13): 64-66, 76; (in Chinese)
  • Wentao Xu and Zihong Ye, Support Vector Machines Based Approach to Recognition of Core Promoter. Anhui. Agricultural Science Bulletin, 2006;12 (13): 71-74, 200 (in Chinese)

Conferences:

  • Wentao Xu and Bin Wang, Language Toxicity Patterns of Politically-Polarized Twitter Replies During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 9th International Conference in Computational Social Science (IC2S2 2023), Copenhagen, Denmark, July 17-20, 2023
  • Wentao Xu, Bin Wang, Jianxun Chu, Network-based Approach to User Engagement and Coordination during the Russo-Ukrainian War, 9th International Conference in Computational Social Science (IC2S2 2023), Copenhagen, Denmark, July 17-20, 2023
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara, QAnon User Dynamics And Topical Diversity Amid The COVID-19 Infodemic, International Conference in Computational Social Science (IC2S2), Chicago, July, 2022
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara, A network perspective on QAnon movement during COVID-19 infodemic, COMPLEX NETWORKS 2021 (The 10th International Conference on Complex Networks and their Applications, Madrid, Spain, Nov.-Dec. 2021
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara, Twitter Bot Networks and Activity Patterns during the COVID-19 Infodemic at the International Conference in Computational Social Science (IC2S2), July 2021
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara, Network and behavioral patterns of bots during the early COVID-19 infodemic, The 35th Annual Conference of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, 2021 (JSAI 2021), June 2021
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara, Characterizing the roles of bots during the COVID-19 infodemic on Twitter, at The Fifth Computational Social Science Japan Workshop (CSSJ 2021), Kobe University. Feb 2021
  • Wentao Xu and Kazutoshi Sasahara, Fake News Characterization Using Linguistic Features at The Fourth Computational Social Science Japan Workshop (CSSJ 2020), Kobe University, Feb 2020

Academic Service:

  • Guest Editor for PLOSONE
  • Reviewed for Frontiers in Public Health, section Infectious Diseases – Surveillance, Prevention and Treatment, Journal of Social Media + Society, Journal of Frontiers in Physics （section Social Physics）

Award

  • Oct. 2020, Interdisciplinary Frontier Next Generation Researcher, The Program is implemented by JST’s Challenging Research Program for Next Generation Researchers, and the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (THERS).
  • Dec. 2019, The First Prize Award and HITACHI Special Award, The Second NTT Twitter Innovation Contest, Tokyo, 2019
  • Dec. 2019, HITACHI Special Award, The Second NTT Twitter Innovation Contest, Tokyo, 2019
  • Oct. 2007, University of Bath International Scholarship