iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 02/04/2026

The Societal Observatory Using Novel Data Sources(SOUNDS) initiative is hiring a Postdoc for Computational Social Science. Apply by 24.04.2026 Link: www.uni-saarland.de/fileadmin/up... SOUNDS: www.sounds-observatory.org @ingmarweber.de @politicsunisaar.bsky.social @saarland-informatics-campus.de

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 19/02/2026

The SOUNDS initiative is hiring for 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻/ 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻/ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱-𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗸𝘂𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁𝘀𝗸𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦 (𝗺/𝘄/𝗱). Link: www.uni-saarland.de/fileadmin/up... @ingmarweber.de @politicsunisaar.bsky.social

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 10/02/2026

The Societal Observatory Using Novel Data Sources (SOUNDS) project is inviting applications for the following position: 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗳/𝗺/𝘅) 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗿𝗲𝗳: 𝗪𝟮𝟴𝟬𝟭) Paygrade: E13 TV-L 100% Duration: 2 years @ingmarweber.de @politicsunisaar.bsky.social @uni-saarland.de

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 22/09/2025

We concluded the day with a warm Farewell Event at Ausländer Café, where participants and organisers reflected on an inspiring two weeks of learning, collaboration, and exchange.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 22/09/2025

On the final day of SICSS Saarbrücken, participants presented the outcomes of their group projects, showcasing impressive creativity, dedication, and teamwork. The five projects explored diverse questions in Computational Social Science.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 22/09/2025

The SICSS Saarbrücken 2025 has officially come to an end. We are grateful to all participants and speakers who made this event such a success, and we look forward to seeing how the conversations and collaborations will continue beyond these two weeks! @uni-saarland.de @i2sc.net @ingmarweber.de

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 19/09/2025

Later in the afternoon, a keynote by @ingmarweber.de (@i2sc.net @uni-saarland.de) on “𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒: 𝑆𝑒𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑆𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠.” He discussed how satellite imagery can be used to understand social phenomena, from urban development to population dynamics.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 19/09/2025

Day 9 of SICSS Saarbrücken was packed with energy and progress as participants dove deeper into their group projects. The groups presented updates on their work, pitching new insights and demonstrating how much they had accomplished in such a short period.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 17/09/2025

In the afternoon, we welcomed @kevinbaum.bsky.social (@dfki.bsky.social) for his keynote: "Ethical Reasoning in the Dark: How to Make Justifiable Decisions When You Don't Know What's Right."

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 17/09/2025

By day seven of SICSS Saarbrücken, participants were in 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲, diving deep into their collaborative work, even missing coffee breaks. They also presented their initial research questions along with their plans for data collection and analysis.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 16/09/2025

We closed our Monday with a thought-provoking keynote by @ridhikashyap.bsky.social (@ox.ac.uk) on “𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝐷𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.” Her talk highlighted key challenges and opportunities for research at the intersection of gender, demography, and digital data.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 16/09/2025

Their lecture was followed by @giucarny.bsky.social and @alexhartland.bsky.social, who continued the discussion by presenting further perspectives and examples on assessing polarization and analyzing the sentiment and topics of political posts.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 16/09/2025

On the 6th day of SICSS Saarbrücken, Daniela Braun (@uni-saarland.de) and @rosanavarrete.bsky.social (@uam.es) presented on “𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦: 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑦? 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 (𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ)?” @politicsunisaar.bsky.social @o3pol.bsky.social

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 16/09/2025

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 16/09/2025

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 15/09/2025

In the evening, they gathered for a celebratory dinner. Just the perfect way to close an intense and inspiring first week of SICSS-Saarbrücken.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 15/09/2025

They visited the Völklinger Hütte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that stands as a remarkable testament to Europe’s industrial past. Participants had the chance to walk through the massive ironworks, reflect on the history, technology, and society, and enjoy engaging outside the classroom.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 15/09/2025

On Saturday, SICSS-Saarbrücken participants took a step away from lectures and hands-on sessions to explore the rich industrial heritage of the region.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/09/2025

We wrapped up our Friday with a research speed dating among the participants to form groups for the next week’s group projects.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/09/2025

On the fifth day of SICSS Saarbrücken, participants attended a lecture by @blurky.bsky.social (@oii.ox.ac.uk) on “𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑣𝑎𝑠 – 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑓-𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑦𝑠.” The lecture introduced key concepts of network analysis, illustrated with insightful examples.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/09/2025

His keynote sparked deep reflections on the shocks to democracy from governments adopting AI and encouraged participants to take an interdisciplinary approach that brings different stakeholders together.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/09/2025

Georg Wenzelburger (@uni-saarland.de, @politicsunisaar.bsky.social) was the keynote speaker of the day, and wrapped up the fourth day talking about "𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑖𝑡𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝐼 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒: 𝐴 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑦".

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/09/2025

The lecture was followed by a hands-on activity where Abhisek Dash and @pushpdeep.bsky.social (MPI-SWS) guided the participants through the challenges of validating labels of content posted on Bluesky.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/09/2025

He discussed the challenges in content moderation, both in centralized and decentralized platforms, with a focus on Bluesky. The talk ended with a fruitful discussion about how we can use these platforms as open marketplaces and take advantage of open data to shape future regulations.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/09/2025

On the fourth day of SICSS Saarbrücken, Abhisek Dash (MPI-SWS) presented on "𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑠 : 𝐴 𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑘𝑦".

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 11/09/2025

The day ended with a great keynote presentation by Uwe Albrecht from the Adolf-Bender-Zentrum e.V. on "𝑅𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡-𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝐺𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 - 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦, 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠". His on-the-ground perspective offered an important reminder of where our efforts to counter extremism should be directed.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 11/09/2025

In the afternoon, @theiletom.bsky.social (@mpidr.bsky.social) guided participants through a hands-on tutorial on the LinkedIn Campaign Manager, where everyone had the chance to set up and run their own data collection.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 11/09/2025

On the third day of SICSS Saarbrücken, we had the pleasure of learning from @ezagheni.bsky.social (@mpidr.bsky.social), who shared his expertise on “𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎”.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 10/09/2025

He introduced 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 and guided participants in hands-on exercises with the 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗣 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹, enabling them to query and analyze images effectively.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 10/09/2025

On the second day of SICSS Saarbrücken, participants attended a lecture by @zsavvas90.bsky.social (TU Delft) on “𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘴”, where he provided a deep dive into methods for analyzing multimodal content shared on social platforms.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 10/09/2025

The opening day started with a warm welcome to the participants, followed by engaging lightning talks throughout the day, and concluded with a shared dinner. A wonderful start to our 10-day journey!

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 30/06/2025

On 14 June 2025, TEDx Saarbrigge brought together curious minds, bold ideas, and powerful voices under the theme “Democracy in the Digital Age: Ideas that Shape Our Future.” #TEDxSaarbrigge #TEDx #DigitalDemocracy #IdeasWorthSpreading

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 16/04/2025

📢 CALL FOR PAPERS: DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING IN TIMES OF AI ℹ️ Info on themes and how to submit: www.cambridge.org/core/journal... 📅 Deadline: 3 October 2025

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 11/04/2025

4TH AFRICAN SYMPOSIUM ON BIG DATA, ANALYTICS, AND MACHINE INTELLIGENCE, AND 18TH TYAN INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC VIRTUAL WORKSHOP Theme: Data-driven AI for a Sustainable Society and Economy Venue: Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria (with provision for virtual participation)

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 23/01/2025

Join us tomorrow (Friday, January 24th) for the final talk in the I2SC Lecture Series for this semester by Kiran Garimella from 12:00-13:00 in building E 1.7, Room 3.23.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 09/01/2025

Join us tomorrow (Friday, January 10th) for the fifth talk in the I2SC Lecture Series (and the first in 2025!) by @mariaa.bsky.social from 12:00-13:00 in building E 1.7, Room 3.23.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 12/12/2024

Join us tomorrow (Friday, December 13th) for the fourth talk in the I2SC Lecture Series by @dgarcia.eu from 12:00-13:00 in building E 1.7, Room 3.23.

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Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing @i2sc.net · 28/11/2024

Join us tomorrow (Friday, November 29th) for the third talk in the I2SC Lecture Series by Marten Düring from 12:00-13:00 in building E 1.7, Room 3.23.

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