Riley Crane

Riley Crane is the Society in Science 'Branco Weiss' senior postdoctoral fellow in the Human Dynamics Group at the Media Lab at M.I.T. His research focuses on understanding the hidden patterns behind collective social behavior. A physicist by training, he has applied his expertise to quantify human behavior and social interactions across various platforms, including YouTube and in the humanitarian response to the Asian tsunami.

Crane is the winner of the 2009 DARPA Network Challenge, a Pentagon-sponsored competition that investigates the impact of the internet and social networking in solving broad, time-sensitive problems through enhanced communication and teamwork. Beyond academia, he consults for both businesses and government entities, and has launched several companies leveraging social networks and social media. His efforts include creating viral media campaigns for books and the United Nations. His contributions have been highlighted in The New York Times and New Scientist, and he has made appearances on CNN and "The Colbert Report."

Crane is deeply interested in developing tools and methodologies to tap into the vast potential of the human network. He seeks to determine if there are underlying principles in collective behavior that emerge from a detailed analysis of individual actions, thereby contributing to a broader understanding and practical applications in various fields.