School of Social and Political Science

Description

This is an event that will bring together early-career researchers alongside other scholars working in the rapidly growing field of social data science across Scotland.

The launch aims to provide: 1) networking opportunities ; 2) promote collaboration; and 3) encourage future participation in the activities of the SDS Hub.

The schedule includes an opportunity to hear lightning talks by practitioners in Scotland, with dedicated slots for PhD researchers to present their research and receive feedback in a collaborative environment.

A set of breakout sessions will provide researchers in related fields with the chance to discuss their work in a more closed setting. We will feature then have standalone panels on the future of social data and how to teach data science, addressing key concerns raised by social data scientists in Scotland.

Attendees will have the chance to participate in a lunchtime poster session, showcasing research visually and encouraging discussion and questions.

The event will end with a keynote speaker from Arthur Spirling (New York University) followed by a Q&A session with drinks and canapés.

The event aims to produce a series of concrete outcomes, including:

• A scoping document that defines the needs and aims of social data science in a Scottish context;
• A stakeholder map of Scottish social data scientists;
• And an inventory of projects and datasets currently in development or use in a Scottish context.

Schedule

09:00 - 09:30
Registration and welcome message

10:00 - 11:30
Lightning talks (including dedicated slot for PhD researchers)

11:30 - 13:00
Breakout sessions (e.g., NLP, digital trace data, LLMs, ethics)

13:00 - 14:00
Lunch + poster sessions

14:00 - 15:00
Panel on “Future of social data”

15:00 - 15:30
Coffee break

15:30 - 16:30
Panel on “Teaching data science”

17:00 - 18:00
Keynote speaker (Arthur Spirling, NYU)

18:15 - 19:00
Drinks and canapés