The science of identity, community & connection.
Furscience Research Labs (FRL) is an independent research collective using rigorous social and behavioral science to understand how communities form, how identity takes shape, and why belonging matters.
- 12K+
- Survey participants
- 40+
- Peer-reviewed studies
- 9
- Years of fieldwork
What we study
Four pillars of our research program
FRL combines surveys, interviews, and experimental methods to build an evidence base that is rigorous, transparent, and useful to the communities we study.
Community & Belonging
How groups form, sustain identity, and create lasting bonds — from local meetups to global online networks.
Identity & Self-Concept
The psychology of self-expression, chosen identity, and how people construct meaning around who they are.
Wellbeing & Support
Measuring how social connection and acceptance affect mental health, resilience, and quality of life.
Data & Demographics
Longitudinal surveys and population studies that map how communities grow and change over time.
How we work
Good science, done in the open
Our methods are designed to be trustworthy and reproducible. We hold ourselves to the standards of academic research while staying accountable to the communities at the heart of our work.
Methodological rigor
Pre-registered studies, validated instruments, and replication built into every project.
Open by default
Anonymized datasets and findings are published openly so anyone can verify and build on them.
Community partnership
We design studies with the people we study, not just about them — ethics and consent come first.
The people
An interdisciplinary team
Psychologists, statisticians, and community researchers working together across the FRL collective.
yes12345
Director, Behavioral Research
LeoAcer
Lead, Decision & Risk Science
Muhammad
Principal Investigator, Global Studies
Jeffy Jeffy
Research Lead, Cognition & Learning
Omar
Field Research Coordinator
ORYX
Head of Data Infrastructure
ArCraft
Lead, Computational Modeling
sarsoura
Research Lead, Community Studies
Yuchuff
Quantitative Methods Specialist
Vain
Ethics & Open Science
In their words
Voices from the lab
Reflections from the researchers shaping the work at FRL.
“@ArCraft I'm boat”
“message”
“Im gonna report you to ma'am mehwish”
Publications
Recent work from the lab
A selection of our peer-reviewed papers and open reports. All FRL publications are freely available.
- 2025Journal Article
Belonging at scale: predictors of community attachment in large online networks
Journal of Community Psychology
- 2024Report
The FRL Longitudinal Study: nine years of identity and wellbeing data
FRL Open Reports
- 2024Journal Article
Social support and resilience among self-organized interest communities
Group Dynamics
- 2023Conference
Measuring chosen identity: a validated multi-factor scale
Society for Personality & Social Psychology
Work with FRL
Researchers, partners, and community members are welcome. Reach out to collaborate, request data access, or join an upcoming study.
Open collective · remote-first worldwide