Dr Jenny Davis has been awarded $450,000 to run a four year experimental project on identity, status and group processes. The project will use innovative experimental methods (including virtual reality) to investigate role-taking and its relationship with social hierarchies. While experimental sociology is a vibrant field in the US, it is new to Australian sociology. As well as supporting the research, the funding will enable Jenny to establish collaborations between ANU and prominent US sociologists working in this field. It will also provide two generous scholarships for PhD students to join the research team (to be advertised soon). The grant was awarded under the ANU Futures scheme which provides large start up grants to recent appointments at the university.

Jenny Davis joined the ANU in 2017, from James Madison University and with a PhD from Texas A&M University. In addition to her research profile in experimental and digital sociology, Jenny is a co-editor of the popular blog Cyborgology and convenes the first year sociology course Self & Society.