Meet the Editor: Big Data & Society

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is hosting a two-day ‘Meet the Editors’ workshop featuring the Editors of the interdisciplinary journal Big Data & Society. Scheduled for Thursday 30th and Friday 31st January 2025, the event will take place at USQUARE VUB-ULB, Brussels, and will bring together scholars, researchers, and editors to discuss critical intersections of social sciences, humanities, and computer science in the context of big data.

The workshop will feature Jennifer Gabrys (University of Cambridge, UK) and Matthew Zook (University of Kentucky, US), who will share insights into publishing in Big Data & Society, an influential journal exploring the societal implications of digital technologies and transformations. The event includes tailored feedback sessions for researchers, plenary discussions on interdisciplinary publishing, and networking opportunities.

Practical Details:
Date: Thursday 30th and Friday 31st January 2025
Location: USQUARE VUB-ULB, Generaal Jacqueslaan 210, entrance via Building AC, Brussels, Belgium (more info)

THURSDAY 30/01

This first day of the workshop is targeted at VUB junior and senior researchers. Its aim is to further familiarise researchers with BD&S and explore – in conversation with the editors – whether their works may speak to the journal readership. Participants to this part of the workshop are warmly invited to submit an abstract in advance, to facilitate exchanges during the breakout seminars.

• 14.00-14.30: Welcome from the organisers (Alice Whelan), brief introduction by the editors
• 14.30-15.30: Breakout seminar: feedback on abstracts
• 15.30-16.00: Networking break, tea/coffee
• 16.00-17.00: Breakout seminar: focussed session on enhancing the publishing potential of your paper, targeting paper toward journal
• 17.00-17.30: Wrap-up session and shared insights.

FRIDAY 31/01

The second day of the workshop is open to a broader public. By focusing on interdisciplinarity, it pursues a twofold objective. On the one hand, it aims at discussing and better understanding common challenges and expectations when planning to publish in BD&S. On the other hand, it invites the editors to present their ongoing research activities and agenda.

• 10.00-10.30: Registration & coffee
• 10.30-12.00: Plenary session: Publishing in Big Data and Society. Chair: Rosamunde van Brakel
• 12.00-13.30: Networking lunch
• 13.30-15.00: Plenary session: The twin challenges of interdisciplinary research and interdisciplinary editorial work [includes Q&A] Chair: Rocco Bellanova
• 15.00-15.30: Break
• 15.30-17.00: Keynotes by BD&S editors. Chair: Alice Whelan
  • 15.30-16.15 Matthew Zook: Blockchain Real Estate: Grounding Decentralized Data Systems into Landed Property
  • 16.15-17.00 Jennifer Gabrys: From Citizen Data to Data Forests: Cultivating Environmental Data Practices
     

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