Sylvain Estebe
Research Assistant · Aarhus University (Center for Humanities Computing)
I build computational models of how people and groups behave — Bayesian cognitive models, decision-making models, agent-based simulations — and use applied data science — segmentation models, forecasting, LLM annotation, time series — to study behavior at scale. My work spans individual cognition, collective decision-making, and cultural evolution, with a common thread: how environmental conditions (resources, volatility) shape behavior and cognition.
Research
Population · Cultural evolution
Does the rise of romantic love in fiction track changes in resource abundance?
Manuscript in preparationGroup · Collective decision-making
When the environment turns volatile, can a voting rule like quadratic voting let agents express how strongly they believe — not just which side they're on?
Manuscript in preparationAll work, past explorations & software →
Talks & updates
- Jun 20267th International Conference on the Mathematics of Neuroscience and AI, Rome — Quadratic voting reduces polarization
- Apr 2026EHBEA 2026, Leiden — Romantic love in French fiction (1500–1800)
- Jun 2025Joined CHC Aarhus as Research Assistant
- Jun 2025MSc Cognitive Science, Aarhus (distinction, grade A on thesis)