When you think of research on the cutting edge of tech change or bringing in investment from business you are more likely to think of engineering than history.
But while research in arts and humanities disciplines has not been as visible, over the last decade or so, the methods, outputs and impact of this research have actually undergone dramatic changes savvy.
The potential for using large datasets to help us understand human society has been the subject of numerous digital humanities projects, as well as special centres devoted to developing these techniques, such as the Stanford University Literary Lab. In the UK the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council has recently funded six digital research centres, including the University of York’sdigital creativity hub which will bring in researchers from theatre and art, as well as computer science.