Events
Past Event
WED@NICO WEBINAR: Madeline King Kneeland, Cornell University "Agency and the Dynamics of Network Churn"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
Details
Speaker:
Madeline King Kneeland, Assistant Professor, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University
Title:
Agency and the Dynamics of Network Churn
Abstract:
Social networks are constantly evolving, however our understanding of how these changes influence performance outcomes is still limited. Importantly, network changes represent a combination of decisions the individual makes for her own network and decisions imposed by others. In order to understand the link between network churn, the aggregate change of added and dropped ties across time, and individual performance, we must consider agency in who initiates the network change. In two related projects, I theorize and empirically test the performance implications of these different dynamic changes and the role of agency (who initiates the change) within individuals’ networks in the context of a large, U.S. based law firm. Using 96 months of complete billable hour records for 759 partners, I show that churn initiated by the focal individual and churn that is imposed upon the individual are differentially productive in generating client revenue, particularly at high levels of churn. I establish that, beyond network structure, network dynamics play a powerful role in predicting professional success—although only after disentangling who initiates the decisions. To further explore how individuals create churn within their networks, I examine the opportunity shocks created by annual partner meetings to forge new ties within the organization and to become the target of tie formation from others.
Speaker Bio:
Madeline King Kneeland is an assistant professor of Strategy and a Management and Organization area faculty member in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. She earned a PhD in management from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Art History from Williams College. Professor Kneeland’s research spans strategy and organizational theory and answers questions related to social networks, network dynamics, and innovation. Another stream of her research explores how individuals and firms are able to create unusual and technologically distant innovation.
Webinar:
Webinar link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/96465098334
Passcode: nico
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems and data science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between.
Time
Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Mayank Agrawal, Proof of Human "The Invisible Turing Test for the Internet"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Mayank Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO, Proof of Human
Title:
Proof of Human: the Invisible Turing Test for the Internet
Abstract:
This presentation introduces the Process Turing Test, a new framework for distinguishing humans from AI that goes beyond linguistic output to analyze behavioral dynamics. As LLMs routinely pass text-based Turing Tests, we need methods that probe the underlying architecture of intelligence through perception, control, and decision-making patterns. Using process tracing data from canonical cognitive tasks, we demonstrate how behavioral embeddings capture computational signatures unique to human cognition. This provides robust proof-of-personhood that resists adversarial attacks while revealing fundamental principles about how humans and machines process information differently.
Speaker Bio:
Mayank Agrawal is the co-founder and CEO of Proof of Human, a research and deployment company building the proof-of-human layer in digital identity. The company develops high-impact research and translates that work into systems for bot detection, fraud prevention, and continuous authentication. Mayank’s work focuses on new approaches to distinguishing humans from AI through behavioral and cognitive signals. He earned his PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience from Princeton University, where he studied computational models of human decision-making with Jonathan Cohen, Tom Griffiths, and Nathaniel Daw. His research spans cognitive science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, with work published in Science, PNAS, and Psychological Review. He previously studied Computer Science and Philosophy at Swarthmore College.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/96392420891
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, networks, and artificial intelligence. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)