From September 8 to September 19, 2025, the Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing (I2SC) will host the Summer Institute in Computational Social Science, to be held in Saarbrücken, Germany. The purpose of the Summer Institute is to bring together graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and junior faculty interested in computational social science. The Summer Institute is mainly focussed towards Computer Science students interested in interdisciplinary approaches to social sciences, focusing more on providing computer scientists with experience in social sciences rather than equipping social scientists with computational methods. Graduate social science students with basic knowledge of computer science approaches are also encouraged to join.
The instructional program will involve lectures, keynotes and participant-led research projects. The curriculum will cover a wide range of social topics, including Migration, Social Bias and Structures, Politics, and Democracy, while exploring how computational methods are applied in these areas. There will also be outside speakers who conduct computational social science research in a variety of settings, such as academia, industry, and government. There will be ample opportunities for students to discuss their ideas and research with the organizers, other participants, and visiting speakers. Because we are committed to open and reproducible research, all materials created by faculty and students for the Summer Institute will be released open source.
Participation is restricted to advanced Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and junior faculty (within 7 years of their Ph.D). We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, especially from neighboring institutions near Saarbrücken, Germany. About 20-25 participants will be invited. Participants are expected to fully attend and participate in the entire 10-day program.
Application materials are due on April 25, 2025.
We will notify applicants via e-mail by the end of May, and will ask participants to confirm their participation very soon thereafter. Inquiries can be sent to hello@i2sc.net.