Welcome to QuantLab
QuantLab is a network bringing together social scientists at the University of Melbourne and beyond to share insights in quantitative methods and research.
Co-founded by Seraphine F. Maerz (Political Science) and Irma Mooi-Reci (Sociology), QuantLab is an inclusive network that welcomes everyone — from students to established researchers — interested in learning about quantitative methods and computational techniques.
We offer hands-on seminars where you can learn cutting-edge methods, together with free online tutorials and session materials in our Sharezone — step-by-step guides on data management, reproducible research, and ready-to-use scripts in R, Stata, and Python. Most importantly, we provide a space to connect with fellow students and researchers, share ideas as well as knowledge, and collaborate.
Events in 2026
AI in Research – Brown Bag Workshop Series
A new collaboration between the Melbourne Data Analytics Platform (MDAP), QuantLab, and the Community of AI in Research (CAIR). These monthly lunchtime workshops offer a relaxed, hands-on space to build confidence with AI in research — each session runs from 12–1pm at Melbourne Connect, with an optional drop-in until 1.30pm. Bring your lunch, your laptop, and your curiosity. Open to researchers at all levels and across all disciplines.
Register and find full details via the MDAP announcement — see also the series flyer.
| Date | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 10/08/26 | Getting started with AI assistance for research: A hands-on introduction to using AI confidently in your research workflow. Manhari Room, Melbourne Connect | Dr. Mel Mistica (MDAP), Dr. Seraphine F. Maerz (SSPS) |
| 14/09/26 | Equipping AI agents with tools: A practical walkthrough of giving AI agents the tools they need to get research work done. Manhari Room, Melbourne Connect | Dr. Daniel Russo-Batterham (MDAP) |
| 12/10/26 | Working with synthetic data: Generating and using synthetic data for research — when it helps, when it hurts, and how to do it well. Room M13, Melbourne Connect | Prof. Irma Mooi-Reci (SSPS) |
| 09/11/26 | How to build your own RAG: Build a retrieval-augmented generation pipeline from scratch and plug it into your own research materials. Room M01, Melbourne Connect | Taylor Ey (Melbourne Institute) |
| 14/12/26 | Analysing historical data with AI: Applying AI methods to historical sources — practical techniques and pitfalls. Manhari Room, Melbourne Connect | Dr. David Goodman (SHPS) |
Other 2026 events
| Date | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 31/03/26 | Analysing Qualitative Data with Large Language Models (LLMs): From small, exploratory coding to large-scale yet in-depth qualitative analysis, with replicable workflows | Dr. Seraphine F. Maerz, SSPS |
More events will be added for 2027, stay tuned!
Schedule 2025
We meet in Linkway, 4th floor John Medley Building.
| Date | Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/02/25 | 14:00-15:00 | Intro to Causal Inference and Treatment Effects | Dr. Chuck Huber, StataCorp LLC |
| 11/02/25 | 03:00-09:00 | Using AI for Text Analysis: An Introduction (online) | Dr. Seraphine F. Maerz |
| 18/02/25 | 10:00-16:00 | Using AI for Text Analysis: Advanced Applications (online) | Dr. Seraphine F. Maerz |
| 03/03/25 | 12:00-13:00 | Introduction to Version Control with Git | Prof. Michael Zyphur, Dr. Mar Quiroga |
| 20/03/25 | 09:30-12:30 | Partner Event: Get Started with R | MDAP |
| 31/03/25 | 12:00-13:00 | Regression Discontinuity Design | Dr. Amrita Mitra |
| 14/04/25 | 12:00-13:00 | Shut Up and Git | Dr. Tomasz Woźniak |
| 12/05/25 | 12:00-13:00 | Quantitative Text Analysis for Social Sciences | Dr. Maxim Ananyev |
| 26/05/25 | 12:00-13:00 | Python for Social Science Research | Dr. Daniel Russo-Batterham |
| 28/07/25 | 12:00-13:00 | Structural Modelling Using R (bsvars & bsvarSIGNs) | Dr. Tomasz Woźniak |
| 11/08/25 | 12:00-13:00 | Building Your Own RAG Pipeline from Scratch! | Taylor Ey |
Schedule 2024
We met in Arts West Research Lounge. Lunch was kindly sponsored by the School of Social and Political Science.
| Date | Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/08/24 | 11:30-13:00 | Launch of QuantLab Intro to R and Quarto | Seraphine F. Maerz, Irma Mooi-Reci |
| 26/08/24 | 12:00-13:00 | Using Stata for Panel Data | Irma Mooi-Reci |
| 09/09/24 | 12:00-13:00 | Spatial Econometrics: An Introduction | Ed Goldring |
| 10/09/24 | 10:00-11:30 | Introduction to Computational Social Science (online, Social Science Week) | Jason Thompson, MCDS |
| 07/10/24 | 10:00-16:00 | Quarto in RStudio (online) | Seraphine F. Maerz |
| 14/10/24 | 12:00-13:00 | Quantitative Text Analysis in R | Seraphine F. Maerz |
| 28/10/24 | 12:00-13:00 | Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in Stata | Harry Ganzeboom |
| 26/11/24 | 10:00-16:00 | Using AI for Text Analysis in R (online) | Seraphine F. Maerz |