Vrinda Malhotra

I’m a PhD student in Computational Sciences & Informatics at George Mason University, advised by Robert Axtell. I build computational models that combine agent-based modeling (ABM) with machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to study trust, information flows, and governance in socio-technical systems.

Research interests: ABM, Computational Social Science, Trust & Governance, Misinformation, NLP, ML, Climate & Policy.

Recent News

  • 2025AgentZero++: Modeling Fear-Based Behavior in Social Systems awarded Best Paper at CSS2025. arXiv
  • 2025Modeling Societal Collapse: A Multi-Society Agent-Based Exploration of Resource, Innovation, and Governance Feedbacks. CSSSA Poster

Current Projects

  • Misinformation as a Commons Problem — modeling trust and attention as shared resources, examining extraction dynamics in information ecosystems, and evaluating governance interventions for epistemic resilience.
  • Conspiracy Evolution Pipeline — modeling narrative shift from conspiracy to propaganda via temporal semantic drift and frame analysis.
  • Climate-Related Policy Analysis — NLP for ocean-acidification policy intent classification and governance-gap mapping.
  • Climate Migration ABM — simulating household adaptation strategies under climate stress and socioeconomic differentials.