Centre for Research in Social Simulation

The Centre for Research in Social Simulation (CRESS), based in the Department of Sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences at the University of Surrey, is a multidisciplinary centre bringing together the social sciences, software engineering and agent-based computing to promote and support the use of social simulation in research in the human sciences.

What is Social Simulation?

There is growing interest in using computer simulation to explore issues in the social sciences. Simulation is a novel research method in most parts of the social sciences, including sociology, political science, economics, anthropology, geography, archaeology and linguistics. It can also be the inspiration for new, process-oriented theories of society.

If you would like more information on CRESS research and activities, or to learn more about collaboration with CRESS, please email us.

For brief guide to social simulation, see Agent-based social simulation: dealing with complexity (PDF), by Nigel Gilbert.

PhD opportunities: We welcome applications to work in CRESS towards a PhD on, or using social simulation. More details here.

You can access models in Hamill & Gilbert's Agent-based Modelling in Economics here.

The HOPES model, exploring the complex nature of household energy use to benefit consumers and meet the UK government's 2050 energy reduction targets, is available here.