The College of Science and Engineering, in collaboration with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), hosted the 8th International Conference on Behavioral and Social Computing (BESC 2021) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), from October 29-31, 2021. The conference convened industry experts, scientists, academics, and engineers to discuss a wide range of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary subjects.

Following successful editions in China, the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, and Taiwan, this year’s edition was a hotspot for all participants to reflect on the latest developments in the fields of data mining, artificial intelligence, statistics and analytics, business and marketing, finance and politics, as well as the behavioral, economic, social, and psychological sciences.

Taking place in an online format, BESC 2021 set a roadmap for prospective research, collaborations, and interactions with like-minded organizations around the world. The event brought to the fore some of the most important conversations around human-computer interface and set CSE and CHSS apart as leaders in these research areas across the MENA region.

The conference received 52 eligible submissions from 137 authors in 22 countries, out of which 12 were finally accepted as full papers (acceptance rate 23%). Twenty more papers were accepted as short and work-in-progress papers. The conference also hosted a Doctoral Consortium, with two tutorials, one panel, and two keynote speeches. 

Speaking after the conference, Dr. Raian Ali, Professor at the College of Science and Engineering and the General Chair of BESC 2021, said: “This year’s conference marks a distinct achievement for our interdisciplinary research across HBKU. We were able to leverage strong international networks and successfully host an event that showcased the breadth and depth of the research we do around technology and human behavior, which is crucial especially in today’s progressive world. These interfaces intertwine with all disciplines and I would like to thank all of this year’s participants who supported our endeavors at HBKU. We look forward to hosting them again in subsequent years.”

Dr. Wajdi Zaghouani, Assistant Professor at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, served as program chair of the event.

Since its founding, the College of Science and Engineering has been at the forefront of research in the areas of sustainable development; information and computing technology; and engineering management and decision sciences. 

CHSS’ programs seek to create social impact and are developed to be relevant and create local, regional, and international impact.