Short Bio
Martin Hilbert is Professor at the University of California, Davis, where he studies the role of digital information and algorithms in complex social systems. He holds doctorates in Economics and Social Sciences (2006) and in Communication (2012), is associated with Communication and Computer Science at UCD, and chairs the campus’s designated emphasis in Computational Social Science. His work is recognized in academia for the first study quantifying the world’s technological information capacity; in public policy for designing the original digital action plan with Latin American governments at the United Nations; and in the popular media for alerting about Cambridge Analytica’s intervention a year before the scandal. Before he joined academia, he served as Economic Affairs Officer of the United Nations Secretariat for 15 years, where he created the Information Society Program for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prof. Hilbert provided technical assistance in the field of digital development to more than 20 countries and dozens of publicly traded companies as digital strategist. His work has been published in the most recognized academic journals, such as Science, Psychological Bulletin, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, and World Development, and regularly appears in popular magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Economist, NPR, BBC, Die Welt, among others. International perspectives are no mere theory for Prof. Hilbert, as he speaks five languages, has called four continents home, and has traveled to over 70 countries.
Biography
I pursue a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the role of information in the development of complex socio-technological systems. I’m particularly interested in the effect of digitalization and algorithmification of society. I share the gained insights through publications and hands-on technical assistance. I hold doctorates in Economics and Social Sciences (2006) and Communication (2012), and I’m a Professor at the University of California, being part of the Dpt. of Communication, the GG in Computer Science, the Data Science Lab, and I Chair the DE in Computational Social Science.
My academic research has been published in the leading peer-reviewed academic Journals of diverse disciplines, among others in:
I’ve written five books, have designed and teach courses on computational social science, digital innovation for international development, and on complex social systems and social network analysis.
On the applied side, I enjoy providing hands-on technical assistance, including to Heads of States, legislators, diplomats, private sector companies, and civil society organizations and have done so in over 20 countries. Before entering academia, I held a diplomatic life-long appointment as Economic Affairs Officer of the United Nations Secretariat. I had the opportunity to coordinate research and technical cooperation projects involving over 10 in-house professionals and over 200 consultants for the United Nations and raised over US$24 million in grants to execute these projects. Policy makers from the highest levels have officially recognized the impact of these projects in public declarations. For example, I led the creation and successful execution of the Latin American and Caribbean Action Plan for the Information Society (eLAC), an inter-governmental policy agenda which is already in its fifths successful generation (eLAC2007, eLAC2010, eLAC2015, eLAC2018, and eLAC2010). I also helped to design measurement indicators that have been officially adopted by the United Nations statistical system for permanent collection worldwide.
I speak five languages, traveled to over 70 countries, and worked in four continents. I try to make an effort to explain my work more broadly in mainstream media outlets, so please check out references in Scientific American, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, BBC, Sueddeutsche, Die Welt, Correio Braziliense, La Repubblica, El Mercurio, El Pais, among others.
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