Dr Mark J Hill

Dr Mark J. Hill is Lecturer in Computational Social Science. Prior to joining the University of Kent he completed a DPhil at the University of Oxford, worked at the London School of Economics and the University of Helsinki, and was a data analyst in the private sector.

His research focuses on the intersection between qualitative data and quantitative methods, with a methodological focus on quantitative text analysis, social network analysis, and a substantive interest in the (intellectual and structural) processes of political change.

Dr Hill’s academic background is in Political Science and the History of Political Though. His research interests, while varied, are united by a specialism and research portfolio in computational methods and digital humanities. He has published on topics ranging from the history of political thought to the impact Optical Character Recognition has on quantitative text analysis/natural language processing.

His current research looks at structural similarities between historical and contemporary social networks. This is done by reconstructing historical social networks of political thought, conducting research into these networks, and using findings to reassess the formation, conduct, and impact of similar networks in contemporary society. The project is a multidisciplinary programme of research drawing on resources from international leaders in computational social science and digital humanities and private sector partners.

Dr Hill has also worked in the private sector conducting research into education standards and assessment with a focus on gender and ethnic inequality. 

Dr Hill teaches undergraduate and postgraduate methods and cultural studies courses.