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DeepLearn 2026: early registration May 22
by David Silva - IRDTA 19 May '26

19 May '26

****************************************************** 13th INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ON DEEP LEARNING DeepLearn 2026 Orléans, France July 20-24, 2026 https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/ ****************************************************** Co-organized by: University of Orléans Centre Val de Loire Doctoral College Institute for Research Development, Training and Advice – IRDTA Luxembourg/London ****************************************************** Early registration: May 22, 2026 ****************************************************** SCOPE: DeepLearn 2026 will be a research training event with a global scope aiming at updating participants on the most recent advances in the critical and fast developing area of deep learning. Previous events were held in Bilbao, Genova, Warsaw, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Guimarães, Luleå, Bournemouth, Bari, and Porto. Deep learning is a branch of artificial intelligence covering a spectrum of current frontier research and industrial innovation that provides more efficient algorithms to deal with large-scale data in a huge variety of environments: computer vision, neurosciences, speech recognition, language processing, human-computer interaction, drug discovery, biomedicine and healthcare, medical image analysis, recommender systems, advertising, fraud detection, robotics, games, business and finance, biotechnology, physics and astrophysics, biometrics, communications, climate sciences, geographic information systems, signal processing, genomics, materials design, video technology, social systems, earth and sustainability, mathematical proofs, etc. etc. The field is also raising a number of relevant questions about efficiency and robustness of the algorithms, explainability, transparency, interpretability, risks and safety, as well as important ethical concerns at the frontier of current knowledge that deserve careful multidisciplinary discussion. Most deep learning subareas will be displayed and main challenges identified through 15 four-hour and a half courses, 2 keynote lectures, 1 round table, and a hackathon competition among participants. Renowned academics and industry pioneers will lecture and share their views with the audience. The organizers are convinced that outstanding speakers will attract the brightest and most motivated students. Face to face interaction and networking will be main ingredients of the event. It will be also possible to fully participate in vivo remotely. ADDRESSED TO: Graduates, postgraduates and industry practitioners will be typical profiles of participants. However, there are no formal pre-requisites for attendance in terms of academic degrees, hence people less or more advanced in their career will be welcome as well. Since there will be a variety of levels, specific knowledge background may be assumed for some of the courses. Overall, DeepLearn 2026 is addressed to students, researchers and practitioners who want to keep themselves updated about recent developments and future trends. All will surely find it fruitful to listen to and discuss with major researchers, industry leaders and innovators. VENUE: DeepLearn 2026 will take place in Orléans, located in the heart of the Loire Valley, which was declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 2000. The venue will be: University of Orléans Faculty of Law, Economics and Management 11 rue de Blois 45100 Orléans, France https://www.univ-orleans.fr/en STRUCTURE: 2 or 3 courses will run in parallel during the whole event. Participants will be able to freely choose the courses they wish to attend as well as to move from one to another. All lectures will be videorecorded. Participants will be able to watch them again for 45 days after the event. An open session will give participants the opportunity to present their own work in progress in 5 minutes. Also companies will be able to present their industrial developments for 10 minutes. The school will include a hackathon, where participants will be able to work in teams to tackle several machine learning challenges. Full live online participation will be possible. The organizers highlight, however, the importance of face to face interaction and networking in this kind of research training event. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Yingbin Liang (Ohio State University), Convergence Theory: How Fast Do Discrete Diffusion Models Generate? Le Song (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence), Towards AI-Driven Digital Organism: A System of Multiscale Foundation Models for Biology PROFESSORS AND COURSES: Nitesh Chawla (University of Notre Dame), [intermediate] Synthetic Data Generation and Learning from Imbalanced Data: From SMOTE to LLMs Jianfei Chen (Tsinghua University), [intermediate] Efficient Large Model Training and Inference Yuejie Chi (Yale University), [introductory/intermediate] Statistical and Algorithmic Foundations of Reinforcement Learning Bo Han (Hong Kong Baptist University), [introductory/intermediate] Trustworthy Machine Learning from Data to Models Jiawei Han (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), [intermediate] Structure-Guided, Theme-Based Knowledge Discovery with Large Language Models Mingyi Hong (University of Minnesota), [intermediate] Bilevel Optimization: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications in Machine Learning and Foundation Models Cho-Jui Hsieh (University of California Los Angeles), [intermediate/advanced] Optimizers for Large Language Model Training Furong Huang (University of Maryland), [advanced] Generative AI Agents Tara Javidi (University of California San Diego), [intermediate] Active Physical Intelligence: Integrated Multimodal Sensing, Controlled Inference, and Spatio-Temporal Attention Yan Liu (University of Southern California), [intermediate] Time Series Foundation Models: From Forecasting to Reasoning Zhijin Qin (Tsinghua University), [intermediate/advanced] Token-Based Semantic Communications Aarti Singh (Carnegie Mellon University), [intermediate] Human Centered AI: Challenges and Opportunities Suvrit Sra (Technical University of Munich), [introductory/intermediate] Introduction to the Theory of Learning with Transformers Ivor Tsang (A*STAR Centre for Frontier AI Research), [introductory/intermediate] Trustworthy Agentic Artificial Intelligence Tong Zhang (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), [introductory/intermediate] Reinforcement Learning for Large Language Models OPEN SESSION: An open session will collect 5-minute voluntary oral presentations of work in progress by participants. They should submit a half-page abstract containing the title, authors, and summary of the research to david(a)irdta.eu by July 12, 2026. INDUSTRIAL SESSION: A session will be devoted to 10-minute demonstrations of practical applications of deep learning in industry. Companies interested in contributing are welcome to submit a 1-page abstract containing the program of the demonstration and the logistics needed. People in charge of the demonstration must register for the event. Abstracts have to be submitted to david(a)irdta.eu by July 12, 2026. HACKATHON: A hackathon will take place, where participants can voluntarily work in teams to tackle several machine learning challenges. They will be coordinated by Professor Sergei V. Gleyzer (University of Alabama). The challenges will be released 2 weeks before the beginning of the school. A jury will judge the submissions and the winners of each challenge will be announced by the end of August 2026. The winning teams will receive a modest monetary prize and the runners-up will get a certificate. SPONSORS: Companies/institutions/organizations willing to be sponsors of the event can download the sponsorship leaflet from https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/sponsors/ ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Karim Abed-Meraim (Orléans, local co-chair) Sergei V. Gleyzer (Tuscaloosa, hackathon chair) Meryem Jabloun (Orléans, local co-chair) Carlos Martín-Vide (Tarragona, program chair) Santiago Montes (Tarragona, webpage) Sara Morales (Luxembourg, finances) Florian Nowicki (Orléans, social networks) Philippe Ravier (Orléans, local chair) David Silva (London, organization chair) REGISTRATION: It has to be done at https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/registration/ The selection of 6 courses requested in the registration template is only tentative and non-binding. For logistical reasons, it will be helpful to have an estimation of the respective demand for each course. Since the capacity of the venue is limited, registration requests will be processed on a first come first served basis. The registration period will be closed and the on-line registration tool disabled when the capacity of the venue will have got exhausted. It is highly recommended to register prior to the event. FEES: Fees comprise access to all program activities and lunches. There are several early registration deadlines. Fees depend on the registration deadline. The fees for on site and for online participation are the same. ACCOMMODATION: Accommodation suggestions are available at https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/accommodation/ CERTIFICATE: A certificate of successful participation will be delivered indicating the number of hours of academic activities (40). This should be sufficient for those participants who plan to request ECTS recognition from their home university. QUESTIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION: david(a)irdta.eu ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Université d’Orléans Collège Doctoral Centre-Val de Loire Universitat Rovira i Virgili Institute for Research Development, Training and Advice – IRDTA, Luxembourg/London

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CFP: Preconference - Lockdown and its (Digital) Afterlives, October 13 2026, Mexico City
by Zimanyi, Eszter 19 May '26

19 May '26

Dear colleagues, Please find the CFP below for a preconference organized by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication. The event will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Mexico City on October 13, 2026, just before the AoIR conference officially kicks off! We look forward to receiving your submissions, Eszter Lockdown and its (Digital) Afterlives Media, Infrastructure, and Everyday Life in Regenerative Perspective Hyatt Regency Hotel Mexico City, Mexico October 13, 2026 In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic instantiated waves of lockdowns of varying severity across the globe. As nations struggled to reach consensus over how to best contain and manage the spread of the highly contagious and deadly disease, tech entrepreneurs and platform companies positioned their digital infrastructures as essential solutions to the crisis. From videoconferencing platforms enabling remote work, education, and sociality, to app-based delivery services, telehealth, and digital entertainment ecosystems, platform capitalism rapidly expanded its reach into the most intimate domains of everyday life (van Dijck, Poell, & de Waal, 2018; Srnicek, 2017). At the same time, governments and public health authorities deployed controversial digital surveillance mechanisms—including contact tracing apps, mobility tracking, and biometric monitoring—raising urgent questions about privacy, governance, and digital sovereignty (Couldry & Mejias, 2019; Zuboff, 2023). Lockdowns thus became sites of (re)generation for material, social, and embodied media practices and relations. They accelerated ongoing processes of platformization, infrastructural dependency, and mediated presence, while also generating new forms of digital experimentation, resistance, and adaptation. For many, lockdown transformed domestic spaces into hybrid environments of labor, leisure, and care, reconfiguring the boundaries between public and private life. These transformations not only reshaped everyday media practices but also restructured media industries, governance regimes, and cultural imaginaries of connectivity and isolation. Rather than understanding lockdown solely as a temporary rupture, this preconference approaches lockdown as a generative historical conjuncture— a turning point that shaped lasting transformations in digital infrastructures, media practices, and social relations. Scholars have begun to examine how lockdown intensified existing inequalities while also generating new forms of mediated intimacy, visibility, and infrastructural awareness (e.g., Chun, 2021). Yet there remains a need for globally grounded, historically informed analyses that situate lockdown within longer trajectories of media transformation, particularly across the Global South and diasporic contexts. We aim to bring together scholars tackling these and related questions to deepen and broaden media and communication studies’ understanding of COVID-19 lockdowns as a critical turning point in digital media history. In alignment with AoIR 2026’s theme of Regeneration(s), this preconference foregrounds lockdown as a moment of technological, cultural, and methodological regeneration—one that reshaped infrastructures of communication, redefined the spatial and temporal coordinates of everyday life, and reoriented scholarly approaches to digital media. This preconference builds on an ongoing collaborative effort to rethink media history and theory from a global perspective spearheaded by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication. We wish to extend conversations initiated through three previous preconferences (“Media and Communication Studies in Global Contexts: A Critical History”; “Repressed Histories of Communication and Media Studies”; and “Non-Aligned Disruptions: Global Media Histories in the Wake of Decolonization”) held in Canada, Australia, and the United States respectively. Together, these events hosted dialogues around decentering dominant narratives and developing alternative genealogies of media and communication. Lockdown and its (Digital) Afterlives advances this agenda by focusing on lockdown as a globally uneven yet widely shared media historical experience. Structure and Goals The preconference will be organized as a set of four roundtables, each bringing a set of participants and one facilitator. This roundtable format is designed to foster sustained dialogue, intellectual exchange, and collaborative thinking rather than formal paper presentations. Each roundtable will focus on a shared conceptual theme, with participants offering brief opening remarks (5–7 minutes each) followed by moderated discussion and audience engagement. The preconference will conclude with a collective plenary session in which facilitators identify future directions for research and collaboration. The goals of the preconference are threefold: * To situate lockdown within longer histories of digital media and infrastructural transformation; * To foreground globally diverse and historically grounded perspectives on lockdown and its digital afterlives; * To foster interdisciplinary dialogue and build scholarly networks around emerging research on media, infrastructure, and crisis. We invite submissions that address one or more of the following roundtable topics: Temporalities of Lockdown: Explore the differing and contradictory temporal experiences of lockdown, including suspension, acceleration, waiting, and temporal fragmentation, from a global media studies perspective. Platformization and Infrastructural Expansion: (Re)assess shifts in media industries, platform governance, and infrastructural dependency during and after lockdown, including the rapid expansion of videoconferencing, streaming, platform labor, and algorithmic management. Domestic Media Ecologies and the Reconfiguration of “Home”: Theorize “being at home” before, during, and after lockdown, including the transformation of domestic spaces into hybrid sites of work, care, and mediated presence. Mobilities and Social Architectures of Control: Consider how lockdown (re)generated forms of digital surveillance and mobility restrictions, including contact tracing, biometric monitoring, vaccine passports, and the expansion of state and corporate data collection regimes. Information about submissions Authors should submit an extended abstract of 350–400 words (excluding references) to cargc(a)asc.upenn.edu In a single PDF, please include: • Your name • Institutional affiliation • Email address • Title of your proposed presentation • Extended abstract detailing how your research contributes to the conversations proposed by any of the roundtable topics The deadline for submissions is July 15, 2026. Authors will be notified by August 15, 2026 if their abstract has been accepted. Organizers: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez, University of Pennsylvania Mariela Morales Suarez, University of Pennsylvania Aswin Punathambekar, University of Pennsylvania Eszter Zimanyi, University of Pennsylvania References Chun, W. H. K. (2021). Discriminating data: Correlation, neighborhoods, and the new politics of recognition. MIT Press. Couldry, N., & Mejias, U. A. (2019). The costs of connection: How data is colonizing human life and appropriating it for capitalism. Stanford University Press. Gray, M. L., & Suri, S. (2019). Ghost work: How to stop Silicon Valley from building a new global underclass. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Parks, L., & Starosielski, N. (Eds.). (2015). Signal traffic: Critical studies of media infrastructures. University of Illinois Press. Srnicek, N. (2017). Platform capitalism. Polity Press. van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & de Waal, M. (2018). The platform society: Public values in a connective world. Oxford University Press. Zuboff, S. (2023). The age of surveillance capitalism. In Social theory re-wired (pp. 203-213). Routledge. ------------------------------------------------------------ Eszter Zimanyi, Ph.D. Research Director Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania Pronouns: she/her http://www.eszterzimanyi.com

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AIES student track seeking reviewers!
by Petter Ericson 19 May '26

19 May '26

Hi all, the below is a request from the student track co-chairs of the AI Ethics and Society conference, Are you able to review 2-3 submissions for AIES Student Program track? The AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society (AIES) has received many applications from students all across the globe. We're seeking anyone holding a PhD in an area related to the conference's tracks (computer science, social science, law and policy, ethics and philosophy) and/or a strong publication record in a relevant field, to help us select students doing high quality work, who can benefit from this interdisciplinary community. Our student program offers cohort building activities, mentorship and some travel assistance to help PhD's fund their journey. It is a great opportunity to contribute to the research ecosystem and support student development in interdisciplinary research. Self nominations for reviewers are graciously accepted here: https://forms.gle/RexoAxRBvm7ScHoa7 Reviewing for AIES Student Program makes you an official program committee member, acknowledged in the conference program. Please feel free to share this opportunity with your networks! AIES26 student chairs Bertilla Fabris, Umeå University Katerina Drakos, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Tracie Farrell, Open University, UK Ángel Pavón Pérez, Open University, UK -- Petter Ericson Staff Scientist, AI Policy Lab and Responsible AI research group AI Policy Lab | Department of Computing Science Umeå University, Sweden 📧pettter(a)cs.umu.se 🌐www.aipolicylab.se

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Steve Jones Lecture features Vincent Obia in 2026 ICA
by Sarina Chen 19 May '26

19 May '26

Dear Colleagues, Greetings! Vincent Obia (University of Sheffield) will give the Steve Jones Internet Research Lecture in the 2026 International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Conference on Saturday, June 6, 3 pm to 4:15 pm, at CTICC Ballroom East (CTICC1, Lev 1), in Cape Town, South Africa. Obia’s lecture is titled “Governing for Humans: Reclaiming a people-centred vision for AI and the internet.” Obia argues that we are living in a vision of technology conjured by Big Tech conglomerates, a vision enabled by the prevailing regulatory architecture. Obia notes that from Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act to AI policies in Africa and across the world, governance instruments have propped up a vision for technology that makes it possible for a few Big Tech executives to wield unprecedented power and shape the digital ecosystem in their interests. Obia states that underpinning this vision is the belief that all human data is available for extraction at scale, the march towards superintelligence cannot be questioned, and unchecked AI expansion is ideal and should be left unregulated, even if it destroys our environment and intensifies exploitative labour and structural inequalities. Obia believes that this vision underscores how our social realities are being constituted in service of the mould created by Big Tech executives. But crucially, Obia continues, it also reveals the ways in which governance can be used to propel a different vision of technology that works for humans. This is what Obia attempts in his lecture, for which he draws from his research into platform governance and AI policy across Africa to highlight regulatory imaginaries conceived by stakeholders who he has engaged with in his tour of the continent. Obia states that his reflection highlights how these imaginaries intersect with governance principles in other parts of the world in order to shape norms and policies that challenge Big Tech’s hegemonic vision and reinstate agency for people, movements, and communities. He applies notions of sovereignty, decoloniality, and participation to define a vision of technology and AI based on the collective and the pluriversal, even more so for global majority countries that are at risk of having their digital futures decided upon by corporate actions and governance frameworks in rich nations. These form the foundation of his argument on the need for governance mechanisms defined by a people-centred vision to reshape the evolution of new media technologies. Obia is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the School of Information, Journalism and Communication in the University of Sheffield, carrying out a research project titled: “A continent on the margins: Investigating African approaches to regulating AI.” Before joining the University of Sheffield, he was a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos (2023-2024), and a Commonwealth Scholar with full-funding for PhD studies at Birmingham City University (2019-2023). More information about Obia could be found at https://sheffield.ac.uk/ijc/people/academic-staff/vincent-obia Steve Jones Internet Research Lecture Series, established by Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research (CCCSIR, www.cccsir.com) in 2003, brings leading Internet researchers to annual ICA conferences to promote the development and interest of Internet research. With the interdisciplinary nature of Internet research, the lecture series brings researchers from various disciplines as well as industry leaders to establish dialogues with communication researchers about topics and issues of Internet research. The theme of Steve Jones Lecture Series is " The Internet as Culture.” For more information about this lecture and lecture series please contact Shing-Ling Sarina Chen at sarina.chen(a)uni.edu.

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Digital Materialities Seminar with Devika Narayan (University of Bristol): "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation" - 27 May (4-6 pm, CET)
by valentingjn 19 May '26

19 May '26

Dear colleagues, As part of the 2025–2026 edition of the "Digital Materialities" seminar, the eighth session of the year will be held on Wednesday, 27 May (4:00-6:00 pm, CET), both online and at Sciences Po Paris (1 place Saint-Thomas d’Aquin, 75007). We are delighted to welcome [Devika Narayan](https://www.devikanarayan.com/), Lecturer at the University of Bristol, for a presentation entitled: "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation" Abstract: This talk will offer a perspective on digital transformation that melds sociotechnical analysis of computing infrastructure with industrial and organisational political economy. The old-fashioned, unglamourous computer industry has given way to a much more pervasive and powerful tech sector. I will explore this shift to discuss the material practices of acceleration, resulting in capitalist volatility. --- Registration for the session, as well as the full seminar programme, is available on the working group [webpage](https://cis.cnrs.fr/materialites-du-numerique/#sem-matnum). The final session of the year will take place on Wednesday, 17 June (4:00-6:00 pm, CET), with a talk by Oyuna Baldakova (King’s College London) on "Land-Locked and Internet-Locked: Digital Dependency, Sovereignty, and Resilience in Kazakhstan." Looking forward to seeing you online and in person! All the best, Hugo Estecahandy, Adrien Tournier & Valentin Goujon. --- Valentin Goujon Doctorant en sociologie médialab, Sciences Po --- Coordinateur du séminaire [FlashLab](https://flashlabinfo.wordpress.com/) et du GdT «[Matérialités du numérique](https://cis.cnrs.fr/materialites-du-numerique/)» Projet de recherche ANR-ORA [Shaping AI](https://www.shapingai.org/) a

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3 PhD positions in project on algorithmic warfare
by Norma Moellers 19 May '26

19 May '26

With apologies for cross-posting -- We are recruiting 3 PhD students for an interdisciplinary project which critically examines technologies and infrastructures of algorithmic warfare. PhD students would be based at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada, with options for degree completion in Sociology, Cultural Studies, or Computing (depending on specialization). The positions are funded at 40k per year and student for the duration of four years. The preferred starting date is September 1, 2026; or alternatively January 1, 2027. Applicants should have a background or demonstrated interest in one or more of the following fields/traditions: STS, critical approaches to computing, digital geography, surveillance studies, critical security studies, de-/anti-colonial theory, or cognate fields. The application deadline is May 29, 2026. More information about the project, positions, and application process can be found here<https://drive.proton.me/urls/07B1G9GR8G#mQu6qf2m5LX9>. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact necroextractivism(a)proton.me<https://mailto:necroextractivism@proton.me/> for any questions. -- Norma Möllers, PhD Associate Professor Sociology T 613-533-6000 ext 74449 norma.mollers(a)queensu.ca<mailto:norma.mollers@queensu.ca> Queen's University Mackintosh-Corry Hall, 5th Floor, Room D531

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Deadline 1 June — Submit to Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26) :Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty
by Data for Policy 19 May '26

19 May '26

*Submission Deadline: 1 June 2026* *Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26)* *Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty* 8-10 September 2026 | Barcelona, Spain Call for Abstracts, Full Papers and Panel Proposals Conference Page: https://dataforpolicy.org/data-for-policy-2026/ Dear colleagues, Data for Policy CIC, in collaboration with the *Universitat Pompeu Fabra *and the *Cambridge University Press* is delighted to invite submission of extended abstracts, full papers, and panel proposals for Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26) <https://dataforpolicy.org/data-for-policy-2026/>, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, on *8–10 September 2026.* For Abstract or Panel Submissions: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=dataforpolicy2026 For Full Paper Submissions: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/dataandpolicy The tenth edition of the conference will focus on the reshaping effects of AI in governance and decision making. This year has witnessed a significant paradigm shift, sparking increased interest in and concern regarding AI governance. The development of AI and data infrastructure has become essential amid the ‘AI War’ between the United States and China, the hybrid conflicts in Europe, and the deployment of military technologies in the Middle East. Strategic investments now prioritise access to frontier technologies, the securing of critical minerals, energy production, and key locations for water supply and cooling. AI is challenging not only global economies but also political systems. We have entered an era where AI influences geopolitics, often at the expense of fundamental rights and values. The theme “Governance of/with AI” addresses the diverse global perspectives on this evolving technology. As AI continues to transform, it presents both unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges; furthermore, emerging developments such as quantum computing heighten existing uncertainties. This theme calls for a responsible and ethical societal response while fostering debate across multiple disciplines. We invite reflections and evidence-based research that explore and contest these views. Ranging from geopolitical promises to large-scale investments, social consequences, and legal frameworks, AI has become a truly transdisciplinary field. We welcome contributions from a wide range of disciplines — including but not limited to computer science, engineering, law, economics, and public administration — that explore challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI, governance, and society. We are particularly interested in work that offers valuable insights and contributes to ongoing data-for-policy discussions aligned with our core focus areas <https://dataforpolicy.org/dfp26-conference-tracks/>: *Area 1:* Digital & Data-driven Transformations in Governance *Area 2: *Technologies & Analytics *Area 3:* Policy & Literacy for Data *Area 4: *Ethics, Equity, and Trustworthiness *Area 5:* Algorithmic Governance *Area 6: *Global Challenges and Dynamic Threats In addition, a dedicated special track convened by The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA) will provide a focused forum to explore the technological, institutional, and political dimensions of AI adoption. *Special Track: <https://digitalstatecraft.academy/special-track-digital-statecraft-from-pri…>Digital Statecraft: From Principles to Practice.* For detailed information on submission types, the review process, and important dates, we encourage you to visit the Submission & Guidelines and Important Dates pages on the Conference website. <https://dataforpolicy.org/data-for-policy-2026/> Join us at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, in September 2026 as we collectively navigate the opportunities and complexities of AI in governance, and contribute to building more equitable, and trustworthy digital futures. For any inquiries or further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact *dfp26(a)upf.edu <dfp26(a)upf.edu>* and *team(a)dataforpolicy.org <team(a)dataforpolicy.org>* Warmest regards, The Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26) – Conference Committee <https://dataforpolicy.org/data-for-policy-2026-dfp26-conference-committee/> __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Important Dates* - *Submission deadline for papers, abstracts, and panels:* *01 June 2026, 23:59, AoE.* - Notification of acceptance for conference abstracts, and panels: 01 July 2026, 23:59, AoE. - Notification of acceptance for full-papers: 25 July 2026, 23:59, AoE. - Registration deadline for presenters: 14 August 2026 - Deadline for submission of mandatory pre-conference material: 17 August 2026 - Registration deadline for all delegates: 25 August 2026 - *Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26): 08 – 10 September 2026* ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *DfP’26 Conference Leadership:* - Manuel Portela, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Carlos (Chato) Castillo, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Vladimir Estivill-Castro, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Migle Laukyte, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Antoni Rubi-Puig, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain *Data for Policy Conference General Chairs:* - Zeynep Engin, Founding Director & Chair, Data for Policy CIC - Jon Crowcroft, Marconi Professor of Communications Systems in the Computer Lab, at the University of Cambridge, and researcher-at-large at the Alan Turing Institute - Stefaan Verhulst, Co-Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer at the GovLab, NYU *Conference Programme Committee:* - Susan Ariel Aaronson, George Washington University, USA - Fola Adeleke, The Global Center on AI Governance, South Africa - Rossella Arcucci, Imperial College London, UK - Omar Isaac Asensio, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA - He Bin, Tongji University, China - Tuba Bircan, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium - Ana Brandusescu, McGill University, Canada - Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia - Igor Calzada, University of the Basque Country, Spain - Natalia Carfi, Open Data Charter, Argentina - Lawrence Cheung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong - Joep Crompvoets, KU Leuven, Belgium - Ebinezer Florano, The University of the Philippines, The Philippines - Sarah Giest, Leiden University, The Netherlands - Yang Han, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong - Regina Hučková, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia - Ahmed Dooguy Kora, L’Ecole Supérieure Multinationale des Télécommunications, Senegal - Jacqueline C.K. Lam, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong - Victor OK Li, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong - Canhui Liu, University College London, UK - Justin Longo, University of Regina, Canada - Claudia Abreu Lopes, United Nations University, Malaysia - Aretha Mare, Smart Africa, Rwanda - Jock Martin,The European Environment Agency, Denmark - Gianluca Misuraca, AI4Gov, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain - Francesco Mureddu, The Lisbon Council, Belgium - Ines Neves, Universidade de Porto, Portugal - David, Love Opeyemi, University of Johannesburg, South Africa - Marta Poblet, RMIT University; The Data Tank, Belgium - Paula Rodriguez Müller, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Belgium - Vania Sena, The University of Sheffield, UK - Sara Thabit, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Italy - Evren Tok, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar - Gaby Umbach, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Italy - Genoveva Vargas-Solar, CNRS, France-Mexico - Masaru Yarime, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ * About Data for Policy* Since its inception in 2015 at the University of Cambridge, the Data for Policy conference series has served as a leading platform for addressing the gap between data advancements and effective policymaking. Over the past decade, it has consistently attracted prominent researchers and thought leaders worldwide. In addition to our conferences, we have partnered with Cambridge University Press to launch the open-access Data & Policy in 2019. This initiative provides a platform for rigorous scholarly work at the intersection of data science and public policy, supported by an integrated peer-review process linking conference presentations to publication opportunities.

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International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026): Last Mile for Journal First Papers Submission
by Announce 19 May '26

19 May '26

*** Last Mile for Journal First Papers Submission *** International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026) 29 September - 2 October 2026, 5* St. Raphael Resort and Marina Limassol, Cyprus https://conf.researchr.org/home/variability-2026 The VARIABILITY conference series brings together the communities previously served by ICSR, SPLC, and VaMoS, forming a unified venue for research on variability, configuration, customization, and related disciplines in software and systems engineering. VARIABILITY 2026 invites Journal-First presentations of papers recently published in leading software engineering journals, including TSE, TOSEM, IST, EMSE, JSS, ASEJ, SoSyM, and reputable open-access journals. This initiative provides authors with the opportunity to engage directly with the VARIABILITY community, while offering attendees a richer and more diverse program. The Journal-First papers remain published in their respective journals, and a one-page summary will be included in the VARIABILITY 2026 proceedings with a pointer to the original publication. Scope To qualify for a Journal-First presentation at VARIABILITY 2026, a paper must meet these criteria: • It was published on the publisher’s website between May 2024 and March 2026. • It fits within the scope of VARIABILITY 2026, as described in the research track call (https://conf.researchr.org/track/variability-2026/variability-2026-papers#C…) and can bring new insights or directions to the community. • It presents new research results or significant extensions of prior work that have not been presented at SPLC, VaMoS, or ICSR before. • It has not been presented at, and is not under review for, Journal-First Tracks of other related conferences. How to Submit Authors of papers that meet the above criteria are invited to submit a short proposal for presentation. The proposal should be one page and include the following: • Paper title, authors, extended abstract, and a link or DOI to the original journal paper. • If the journal paper builds on or is related to previously published work (such as a poster or tool demo), the proposal must clearly explain why it should be considered a Journal- First paper. • All proposals must be submitted as a PDF via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=variability2026 (Journal-First Track). • Please upload both the proposal PDF and a ZIP file containing the original journal paper. Accepted abstracts will be published in the VARIABILITY 2026 Companion Proceedings published by Springer in the LNCS series. A Journal-First proposal must be at most one page long and it must follow the Springer guidelines: https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu… . By submitting your abstract for inclusion in these proceedings, you acknowledge that you and your co-authors must comply with Springer’s publications policies (https://www.springer.com/gp/editorial-policies) including requirements related to research integrity, copyright, and ethical standards. Any alleged violations of these policies may be investigated by Springer and could result in corrective actions, including withdrawal of the paper. Evaluation and Selection Proposals will be selected based on the quality of the publication and the journal, after confirming that the paper fits the scope of the conference. Since the papers have already been peer-reviewed and accepted by their journals, they will not undergo another technical review. The goal is to include as many papers as possible in the Journal-First Track. However, if an unusually high number of papers are received, some might not be accepted. If needed, priority will be given to papers that best align with the conference topics of interests and the structure of the sessions. Conference Attendance For each paper accepted into the Journal-First Track, at least one author must register for the conference and attend to give the oral presentation. Important Dates (AoE) • Submission of Papers: 1 June 2026 • Notification of Acceptance: 22 June 2026 • Camera-Ready Submission: 15 July 2026 • Author Registration: 15 July 2026 Organisation General Chairs • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus • Gilles Perrouin, FNRS & University of Namur, Belgium Research Track Chairs • Thorsten Berger, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany • Ina Schaefer, KIT, Germany Industry Track Chairs • Shaukat Ali, Simula Research Lab and Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany Journal First Track Chairs • Mathieu Acher, University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, IRISA, France • Xhevahire Tërnava, LTCI, Télécom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France Doctoral Symposium Track Chairs • Rick Rabiser, LIT CPS, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria • Iris Reinhartz-Berger, University of Haifa, Israel Demos and Tools Track Chairs • Sandra Greiner, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark • Leopoldo Teixeira, Federal University of Pernambuco Projects Showcase Chairs • Daniel Struber, Chalmers, University of Gothenburg, Radbound University, Sweden • Dalila Tamzalit, Nantes Université, France Hall of Fame Chairs • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany • Goetz Botterweck, Lero - The Irish Software Research Centre and University of Limerick, Ireland • Natsuko Noda, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan Workshops Chairs • Lidia Fuentes, Universidad de Malaga, Spain • Malte Lochau, University of Siegen, Germany Tutorials Chairs • Loek Cleophas, Eindhoven University of Technology and Stellenbosch University, The Netherlands • Mahsa Varshosaz, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark Proceedings Chair • Sophie Fortz, King's College London, UK Publicity Chairs • Wesley Assunção, North Carolina State University, USA • Kentaro Yoshimura, Hitachi Ltd, Japan Local Organiser and Finance Chair • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

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Call for Applicants--Global Majority Research Committee (GMRC)
by Suzi Ragheb 19 May '26

19 May '26

Delighted to share this great opportunity to join a community of researchers focusing on the Global Majority--We are seeking to expand our committee coverage for* Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Eastern, Western, or Southern Africa*. Applicants from these regions will be prioritized. Background and details on the application <https://tspa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ehZqjhfiwNSWOGO>below. Deadline is May 29th. -- The Global Majority Research Committee (GMRC) The Global Majority Research Committee (GMRC) aims to foster a more equitable and effective Trust & Safety (T&S) ecosystem by elevating the expertise and inclusion of Majority World, voices in product design, policy development, and organizational practices. We are now seeking new members to join us in planning, facilitating, and executing committee activities in 2026–2027. We invite T&S researchers and multidisciplinary scholars interested in collectively conducting research and advocating for the Majority World. Submit your application for membership no later than May 29, 2026. <https://tspa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ehZqjhfiwNSWOGO> Application requirements *GMRC members are researchers or research-adjacent practitioners from academia, civil society, and/or tech platforms working on T&S topics with specialization in Global Majority contexts. Membership is not intended for non-researchers at this time. * *We are seeking to expand our committee coverage for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Eastern, Western, or Southern Africa. For this call, applicants from these regions will be prioritized. * Applicants should have a minimum of two years’ experience working in the T&S ecosystem, including academia, civil society and/or tech platforms, with specialization in Global Majority contexts. Applicants with lived and learnt experience and expertise from the Majority World will be preferred. Applicants should have experience working with diverse and/or multicultural teams and professional experience. We welcome: - Academics conducting research on topics like online hate speech, misinformation, cyberbullying, child sexual abuse material, platform manipulation, and the impact of online platforms in Global Majority contexts. May specialize in areas like critical data studies, algorithmic bias, or the ethics of AI in T&S. - Scholars focusing on issues like freedom of expression, privacy, surveillance, and the human rights implications of online platforms. May have expertise in areas like international human rights law, digital rights advocacy, or the impact of online platforms in the Majority World. - Researchers investigating the spread of disinformation, the role of social media in political polarization, the impact of online platforms on public discourse, and the ethical considerations of online communication. - Researchers working directly for tech platforms, conducting research on T&S issues, developing and evaluating content moderation policies, and analyzing platform data to identify and address safety risks. If your application is successful, you will be expected to commit to the member responsibilities outlined in the GMRC Charter <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lLNZKkLLxT1kDRijLI-rAZbAdQawYveO/edit>. If you have questions or wish to speak to a current member prior to applying, please contact Amanda Menking at amanda(a)trustandsafetyfoundation.org Trust and Safety Foundation The Trust and Safety Foundation (TSF) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to improve society’s understanding of the trust and safety field through educational and research programs and interdisciplinary dialogue. The Trust & Safety Research Coalition TSF created the Trust & Safety Research Coalition in furtherance of TSF’s role as a bridge between industry researchers, academic researchers, the trust and safety professional community, the technology industry, civil society, and other public interest groups. TSF’s vision for the Coalition is to convene key stakeholders to engage in dialogue and collaboration with the aim of improving society’s understanding and furthering the field of trust and safety. The Coalition currently consists of three research committees (Psychological Health, Global Majority, Tooling) and a steering committee. Best, Suzi Ragheb Member, Global Majority Research Committee Board Fellow, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

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CFS | After Virtual Reality: Extending Immersive Narrative Symposium | Extended Deadline: 31st May
by Sérgio Galvão Roxo 18 May '26

18 May '26

Dear all, I'm sharing that the submission deadline for the "After Virtual Reality: Extending Immersive Narrative Symposium" has been extended until the 31st of May. A three-day symposium for a small cohort of participants, convened by the Extending Digital Narrative (XDN) research project the Center for Digital Narrative (CDN), a Norwegian Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Bergen (UiB), Norway. The After Virtual Reality symposium will take place between October 19-21, in conjunction with an exhibition on display from October 14-22, in collaboration with the Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF). Organizing committee Scott Rettberg, Maria Engberg, Pedro Queirós Pinto, Sérgio Galvão Roxo, Anna Nacher What are immersive narratives becoming? As contemporary forms of digital narrative continue to expand, mutate, and hybridize, immersive storytelling has become a key site of experimentation across artistic, cultural, and technological domains. Immersive narratives now transcend singular media forms, platforms, or devices, unfolding across thresholds such as physical and digital environments, embodied and computational experiences, and authored and generative processes. Immersive storytelling has often been associated with immersive media and Extended Reality (XR), encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). However, XR itself remains an unstable and evolving category. Drawing from Milgram and Kishino’s (1994) reality–virtuality continuum, we consider “XR” an open and extensible framework for emerging, speculative, and as-yet-unsettled forms of computationally mediated reality, including spatial computing, AI-driven environments, and hybrid physical–digital spaces. After Virtual Reality: Extending Immersive Narrative brings together researchers, practitioners, and theorists to explore how immersive narratives are being reconfigured today — and what they might become. The symposium is organized by the Center for Digital Narrative (CDN) at the University of Bergen, within the Extending Digital Narrative (XDN) research project, which takes an experimental approach to studying emerging forms of digital narrative and exploring the potentialities of emerging technologies for new genres of storytelling. The symposium will foreground immersive narratives as sites of epistemological, aesthetic, and political experimentation. We invite contributions that examine immersive narratives as spatial, multimodal, and relational practices, with attention to how they produce affect, reflection, identification, participation, and belonging. The symposium welcomes diverse critical perspectives and explicitly encourages contributions grounded in decolonial, queer, feminist, cyborg, and posthuman epistemologies, as well as community-based, activist, and industry-facing practices. Potential themes We invite theoretical and empirical contributions addressing immersive narrative across the following themes, including but not limited to: Immersive Narrative Practices & Aesthetics ◦ Case studies of immersive storytelling across VR, AR, MR, and spatial computing ◦ Spatial storytelling, narrative, environments, and multimodal embodied experience ◦ Theoretical frameworks emerging from creative and practice-based research in immersive narrative AI, Authorship, and Generative Systems ◦ Relationships between AI and XR; AI-driven environments and generative narrative ◦ Thresholds between authored and generative processes ◦ New epistemologies of narrative authorship in computational systems Politics, Epistemology, and Social Practice ◦ Decolonial, queer, feminist, and cyborg frameworks for immersive media ◦ Narratives of belonging, exclusion, memory, and futurity ◦ Community-driven, participatory, and activist immersive practices ◦ Immersion as affective, political, and epistemological condition Contributions may also address thresholds between physical ↔ digital, embodied ↔ mediated, and spectator ↔ participant across any of the above themes.  Collaborative submissions between scholars and creators are particularly encouraged. Submission format: Academic Abstracts Specifications: • Length: 500 — 1000 words (excluding references) • Author bio: 50 words • Keywords: Up to 5 Deadline: 17 May 2026 | Extended deadline: 31 May 2026 Notification: June 2026 Submission link: https://skjemaker.app.uib.no/view.php?id=21016960 Contact person: Sérgio Galvão Roxo [sergio.roxo(a)uib.no] More information: https://www4.uib.no/en/research/research-centres/center-for-digital-narrati… Up to 20 presentations will be selected from submissions, with additional participants invited as discussants and respondents. Selection is based on thematic fit, scholarly contribution, and the need for intellectually diverse perspectives on immersive narrative. Authors of selected presentations will be invited to submit their work to a peer-reviewed publication. October 2026, Bergen, Norway • 19 October – Exhibition Opening & Artist Panel • 20-21 October – Academic Symposium There will be no conference fee. Lunches and a conference dinner will be provided by the hosts. Organizing Institution The Center for Digital Narrative (CDN) is a Norwegian Centre of Research Excellence dedicated to the study of narrative across digital, visual, sonic, and computational media. The symposium is organized within the framework of Extending Digital Narrative (XDN), an interdisciplinary research group focused on immersive, conversational, and generative narratives. For more information: https://www4.uib.no/en/research/research-centres/center-for-digital-narrati… Funding This is supported by the Research Council of Norway through its Centers of Excellence scheme (project number 332643, Center for Digital Narrative) and its SAMKUL project scheme (project number 335129, Extending Digital Narrative)

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