Dr. Almog Simchon
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
My life before BGU:
I was born in Beer-Sheva, grew up in Meitar, and graduated from Eshel Hanasi High School. I completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and cognitive sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, from where I continued to a master's degree in language neurocognition at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language and at the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain. I returned to BGU for my PhD in psychology and then went on to do a postdoc at the University of Bristol, in England.
Why BGU?
Ben-Gurion's Department of Psychology is home. Here is where I got my bachelor's degree and my doctorate, and enjoyed the exceptional academic level at the university in general and in the department in particular. As a native of Beer-Sheva, BGU was a natural choice.
My research:
I am a computational social psychologist, which means that I apply tools from the world of data science to answer questions from the field of psychology. My research examines the intersections of social networks, social psychology, and language. I am interested in questions such as what role social networks play in processes of political polarization and the dissemination of disinformation, and how anti-democratic processes on social networks and in the real world can be prevented (or mitigated). At the same time, I am interested in how language reflects psychological processes and even influences the way people perceive the world.
An insight from my research:
Our day-to-day lives are less affected by big events like elections or a precarious political situation. This is a feature that greatly benefits the quality of life of the individual, while at the same time is a disaster for society.
Something that doesn't appear on my CV:
I am the pétanque champion of Papillon Zeugma Hotel Antalya, following one afternoon in the summer of 2003. I can’t stand beets.
When I grow up...
When I was a kid, I liked the word "architect," so when asked, I always answered architect. Later, I thought I would become a journalist, but after a few years in the media, I realized that it wasn't for me either. In the meantime, the answer is "psychologist, but not therapist."
If I wasn't a researcher, I would be in...
The media, unfortunately.
In brief:
- Hapoel or Maccabi? Hapoel. Beer-Sheva
- Ravid Plotnik or Noa Kirel? Plotnik did the impossible, breaking through genre boundaries more than a decade ago, producing an extensive body of work and redefining Israeli rap. Noa Kirel is a model of hard work, high aspirations, and uncompromising professionalism. My answer is Jasmin Moallem
- Steak or tofu? Tofu. I was never a real carnivore and a few years ago I finally became vegetarian
- Trekking or the spa? Spa. I would very much like to be a hiker, but deep down I really prefer the spa
- Winter or summer? Winter
- City or country? City
- Dog or cat? Dog
- Facebook or Twitter? Twitter, RIP.
