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Jana Schaich Borg

Associate Research Professor in the Social Science Research Institute
Social Science Research Institute

Overview


Dr. Jana Schaich Borg uses neuroscience, computational modeling, and emerging technologies to study how we make social decisions that influence, or that are influenced by, other people.  As a neuroscientist, she employs neuroimaging, ECOG, simultaneous electrophysiological recordings in rats, and computational analysis of video interactions to gain insight into how we make social decisions.  As a data scientist, she works on interdisciplinary teams to develop new statistical approaches to analyze these high-dimensional multi-modal data to uncover principles of how the brain integrates complex social information with internal representations of value to motivate social actions.

Dr. Schaich Borg’s most current research projects focus on developing Moral Artificial Intelligences and understanding the role of “social synchrony” in empathy, social connection, psychiatric disease, and mental health.  Issues related to these research projects have led her become involved in efforts to develop practical strategies for ethical AI development, and passionate about initiatives to use storytelling and data visualization to communicate the impact of complex analytical problems to diverse audiences.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Research Professor in the Social Science Research Institute · 2019 - Present Social Science Research Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2017 - Present Duke Science & Society, Initiatives
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2019 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers

Education, Training & Certifications


Stanford University · 2013 Ph.D.
Dartmouth College · 2002 B.A.