Workshop on Longitudinal Network Analysis with RSiena (online)
(THIS WORKSHOP IS FULLY BOOKED)

Speakers:	Professor Tom Snijders Professor Alessandro Lomi
Date:	Monday 24 - Friday 28 August 2020
Location:	Online workshop

The Exeter Centre for Social Networks is offering a workshop on longitudinal social network analysis focused around the RSiena software. The workshop will be led by Professors Tom Snijders and Alessandro Lomi. The workshop is divided in two modules. Participants can register to each module of the workshop independently:

1. The first module of the workshop will take place from Monday August 24th 2020 till Wednesday August 26th 2020. It introduces participants to the analysis of longitudinal, group-centered network data by way of stochastic actor-oriented models (Snijders, van de Bunt & Steglich, 2010), and to the analysis of peer influence processes taking place in such dynamically changing networks (Steglich, Snijders & Pearson, 2010). Its objective is that participants develop an understanding of the models, familiarise themselves with the use of the RSiena package for model estimation, and learn how to tell a good model specification from a bad one. Participation in this introductory module should be sufficient preparation for following the advanced one.
2. The second module will take place on Thursday August 27th and Friday August 28th 2020. It will on the one hand address advanced topics and introduce to new developments in RSiena, such as the multilevel analysis of multi-group data with the help of random effects models instantiated in the sienaBayes function, the analysis of continuous dependent actor variables, and hints for forward model selection obtained from the sienaGOF function. On the other hand, there will be a limited opportunity to present and discuss draft papers of participants using RSiena.

For both modules, researchers who are in the process of collecting or analysing own longitudinal data sets are especially welcome to participate and, if possible, bring their own data. If participants wish to use their own data as example material, this should be communicated in advance with the teachers of the course. For participants without own data, sample data sets will be made available. For participants of the second module who would like to present a draft paper, this should be communicated with the teachers of the course before July 31. A decision about the suitability will be based on an abstract, and the draft paper should be available by August 10.

Prerequisites for participation are familiarity with basic social network analysis, knowledge of intermediate statistics (including logistic regression analysis), and familiarity with the R statistical software environment.

Tom A.B. Snijders is professor of Statistics and Methodology in the Social Sciences at the University of Groningen and emeritus fellow of Nuffield College, University of Oxford. He studied mathematics and obtained a PhD in 1979 from the University of Groningen with a dissertation in mathematical statistics. His research concentrates on social network analysis and multilevel analysis. His work on developing statistical methodology for network dynamics is implemented in the software package RSiena (Simulation Inference for Empirical Network Analysis) in the statistical system R. With Roel J. Bosker he wrote Multilevel Analysis; An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling (Sage, 2nd ed., 2012). Combining these two research strands, together with Emmanuel Lazega he edited Multilevel Network Analysis for the Social Sciences; Theory, Methods and Applications (Springer, 2016). Together with Patrick Doreian he was co-editor of Social Networks from 2006 to 2011. In 2005 he received an honorary doctorate in the social sciences at the University of Stockholm, in 2010 was the recipient of the Georg Simmel Award of INSNA, the International Network for Social Network Analysis, and in 2011 he received an honorary doctorate at the Université Paris-Dauphine.

Alessandro Lomi is a Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Exteter, and a professor at the University of Lugano (Switzerland) where he is a member of the Institute of Computational Science. He is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Psychological Sciences of the University of Melbourne, and a Life Member of Clare Hall College, University of Cambridge. In the recent past, he was an elected member of the Swiss National Science Foundation, and a Jemolo Research Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. He holds a PhD from Cornell University (New York).