Speaker: Xiaoming Zhang (张晓明, BIMSA)

Time: 12:45-13:25, April 21, 2025

Venue: A6-1

Zoom: 388 528 9728

Password: BIMSA

Abstract

I will first briefly introduce the development history of the micro-scale governing equations for opinion dynamics, and then present a refined model based on empirical data and related studies. The model is then applied to study the patterns of the opinion distributions in the US Congress using 154 years of recorded data. The talk tries to answer the following two questions: What drives the separation and reunion of ideologies in the U.S. political system? Is there a relationship between partisan polarization and critical historical events?

Speaker

Dr. Zhang received his bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees from Zhejiang University, Peking University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently a professor at the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications, in the artificial intelligence and machine learning research group.

He is currently interested in developing machine learning algorithms driven by both data and existing domain knowledge, and applying them to the interpretation and quantification of various physical, biological and social phenomena.

Member Seminar Intro

The BIMSA member seminar is a weekly event during which researchers engage in discussions about their extensive research interests, addressing a diverse audience that includes fellow researchers and all postdoctoral scholars within the institute. This forum provides a unique privilege and an invaluable opportunity for each research faculty member, serving as a speaker, to introduce their research field, promote the subject within the institute, and ignite the potential for future collaborations with other research groups within the institute.

The lecture format consists of a 30-minute colloquium-style presentation, thoughtfully tailored to be accessible to postdoctoral scholars and researchers from diverse disciplines within the institute. Following the presentation, a 15-minute discussion session is anticipated, involving active participation from postdocs representing various fields.

It is mandatory for all postdocs at the institute to actively participate in this event. The enthusiastic involvement of faculty members is greatly valued and will prove mutually beneficial for both the speaker and the junior audience.