iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Vicky C Yang

@vcyang.bsky.social

Assistant Professor at MITSloan. Understanding human collectives using math & data. Former fellow at Santa Fe Institute.

Posts Replies Media

Reposted by Vicky C Yang

Santa Fe Institute @sfiscience.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

SFI is hiring a postdoctoral fellow to work with SFI Professor David Wolpert on the thermodynamic cost of distributed computation, from digital circuits to human brains. We are seeking a scholar with expertise in physics, computer science, or a related field. santafe.edu/about/jobs/p...

11714

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

arXiv version: arxiv.org/abs/2412.15378

020

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Between 1985--2023, MIT's faculty grew 9%. Administrative staff grew 189%. 📈 Why? In new @pnas.org paper, we use dynamical system model to show administrative bloat can emerge without empire-building--just from well-intentioned problem-solving gone awry www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

34223

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

arXiv version: arxiv.org/abs/2412.15378

arxiv.org

What Leads to Administrative Bloat? A Dynamic Model of Administrative Cost and Waste

The functioning of complex systems depends on the coordination of diverse components, often supported by regulatory structures that incur costs. In human organizations, such costs manifest as administ...

000

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Thanks @mitsloan.bsky.social for covering our recent paper on function diversity across complex systems mitsloan.mit.edu/press/new-st...

mitsloan.mit.edu

New study identifies shared mathematical principle linking how cells, companies, and cities diversify | MIT Sloan

New research from MIT Sloan and the Santa Fe Institute shows common patterns in the growth of biological and social systems.

053

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Thanks @sfiscience.bsky.social for an accessible coverage of our paper!

000

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Through modeling the growth process and empirically estimating key parameters, we find that while systems differ in how they add new functions, once a function is introduced, its growth follows a common sublinear preferential attachment process.

000

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

New paper in PNAS: We find Heaps' law, empirical regularity first identified in how diversity of vocabulary scales in books, also describes function diversity in cells and many human organizations (with cities being a notable exception). w/ @sfiscience.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

pnas.org

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

100

Reposted by Vicky C Yang

Santa Fe Institute @sfiscience.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Are you an early-career researcher or research professional with a broad interest in complexity science? Applications are open for SFI’s 2026 CSSS program, a three-week, in-residence program offering an intensive introduction to complexity science. Apply by Feb 4, 2026 santafe.edu/csss

0911

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

PhD applications at MIT Sloan are live! Deadline is Dec 1. If you’re excited about social system modeling research and want to work with me or our other fantastic faculty, we’d love to see your application to the system dynamics group! mitsloan.mit.edu/programs/phd...

mitsloan.mit.edu

Application Information | PhD | MIT Sloan

Find information about how to apply to the MIT Sloan PhD Program.

010

Reposted by Vicky C Yang

Santa Fe Institute @sfiscience.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Mastering a skill can take decades, but learning unfolds across timescales from moments to days. A new paper by three former SFI postdocs presents a theoretical model of nested timescales of learning, offering a unified, multi-scale account of skill acquisition. www.santafe.edu/news-center/...

Ceramicist at work in Takayama, Japan. (image: Katherine Mast)

1246

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Excited to share our new paper in NPJ Complexity! We propose a unified, multiscale model of skill acquisition—linking moments to decades. Ideated at the @sfiscience.bsky.social-JSMF conference research jam, and years (many revisions) later, it’s finally out. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

010

Vicky C Yang @vcyang.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Big thanks to Faye Flam and @bloomberg.com for the thoughtful interview and excellent article on polarization. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

bloomberg.com

We Used to Disagree. Now We Don’t Talk to Each Other.

Five years after Covid, America's greatest threat is our divided reality.

000