Man in a black suit smiling

Ronald E Robertson, PhD

  • Research Scientist, Stanford Internet Observatory

Biography

Dr. Ronald E Robertson received his Ph.D. in Network Science from Northeastern University in 2021. He was advised by Christo Wilson, a computer scientist, and David Lazer, a political scientist. For his research, Dr. Robertson uses computational tools, behavioral experiments, and qualitative user studies to measure user activity, algorithmic personalization, and choice architecture in online platforms. By rooting his questions in findings and frameworks from the social, behavioral, and network sciences, his goal is to foster a deeper and more widespread understanding of how humans and algorithms interact in digital spaces.

Prior to Northeastern, Dr. Robertson obtained a BA in Psychology from the University of California San Diego and worked with research psychologist Robert Epstein at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology.

publications

Journal Articles
September 2023

Identifying Search Directives on Social Media

Author(s)
cover link Identifying Search Directives on Social Media
Journal Articles
August 2023

Subscriptions and external links help drive resentful users to alternative and extremist YouTube channels

Author(s)
cover link Subscriptions and external links help drive resentful users to alternative and extremist YouTube channels
Journal Articles
July 2023

Challenges in understanding human-algorithm entanglement during online information consumption

Author(s)
cover link Challenges in understanding human-algorithm entanglement during online information consumption