HSSH October Newsletter 10/2025

Catalyst Grant funding for 2026 – New Initiatives and Methodological Mentoring

Although this year’s application schedule was tight, HSSH received an encouraging number of high-quality applications.

The evaluation emphasized the development of new ideas and solutions, interdisciplinary collaboration, feasibility of the proposed plans, and the creation of open added value for the SSH research community. The justification of the budget in relation to the project’s goals was also taken into account.

“In this funding round we aimed to support projects even more strongly than before. The goal is to select projects that are suitable for methodological development and to strengthen their collaboration with HSSH’s Methodological Unit,” says HSSH Director Risto Kunelius.

Through these projects, the broader impact they produce on campus will be enhanced. This may involve, for example, organizing workshops, publishing results in various formats, or other forms of joint activities.

In this year’s funding round, each selected project will receive €13,000. By slightly reducing the previous maximum amount of funding, it was possible to allocate support to as many high-quality projects as possible and to promote wide-ranging interdisciplinary collaboration within SSH research at the University of Helsinki.

All funded projects are expected to present their results at .

HSSH Visiting Professors for 2026 Selected – Record Number of Applications Received

The Visiting Professor Program of the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH) attracted exceptional interest this year. A record number of applications were received, including many high-quality and internationally distinguished proposals.

A total of nine new visiting professors have been selected for 2026:

Christopher Baker, Goldsmiths, University of London

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University

Sarah B. Snyder, American University

Leonard Seabrooke, Copenhagen Business School

Maike Schindler, University of Cologne

Maria Lucia Passador, Bocconi University

Eric Voss, Teachers College, Columbia University

Tuulia Ortner, University of Salzburg

D´Lane R. Compton, University of New Orleans

The Visiting Professor Program supports international collaboration and interdisciplinary research by bringing leading scholars to Helsinki. Its aim is to strengthen research networks on the University of Helsinki’s City Centre Campus, enhance methodological expertise, and foster new initiatives in the form of joint research projects.

“The HSSH Visiting Professor Program has established itself well, as evidenced by the ever-growing number of highly interesting visitor proposals. The program is an affordable and successful way to promote international multidisciplinarity in the SSH fields at the University of Helsinki. We hope to continue maintaining the program and even increase the number of visitors in future rounds,” says Pekka Mäkelä, Vice Director of HSSH.

This year, the selection process placed particular emphasis on research impact, the strengthening of networks, and the long-term potential of collaboration. As slightly less funding was available than in previous years, support was directed toward projects whose visits are expected to benefit a wide range of researchers and research groups across the City Centre Campus.

The HSSH Visiting Professor Program has established itself as an important channel for deepening international research cooperation and promoting interdisciplinary dialogue at the University of Helsinki.

Bridging Data, Society, and Collaboration – HSSH Visiting Professor Mirko Schäfer Reflects on His Time in Helsinki

Associate Professor Mirko Schäfer from Utrecht University’s Governing the Digital Society research area has served as a Visiting Professor at the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH) from 2022 to 2025. As co-founder and project leader of the Utrecht Data School, Schäfer has long been interested in the socio-political impact of media technologies and the role of data practices in shaping public institutions and spaces.

Over the course of his numerous visits to Helsinki, he has been a valuable collaborator for HSSH as well as researchers and research groups at the City Center Campus of University of Helsinki, building strong ties with several groups and contributing to projects that bridge data science, social inquiry, and public engagement. As his term now draws to a close, , marking the culmination of a fruitful three-year collaboration. In this interview, he reflects on what drew him to HSSH, the partnerships he helped build, and how his time in Helsinki has deepened the growing European network around critical data and AI studies.

What motivated you to become a visiting professor at HSSH?

"My motivation to apply for this position came from the strong resonance between the mission of HSSH and the work I’ve been developing with the  at Utrecht University. Both emphasize studying social and technological phenomena up close in collaboration with stakeholders and with a clear commitment to societal impact and community-engaged learning. This alignment made HSSH a natural and inspiring environment for me to contribute to and learn from.

I was particularly drawn to HSSH’s emphasis on interdisciplinarity and methodological innovation. Combining digital methods, ethnography, design thinking, and action research has always been central to our approach Data School, and it’s exciting to see these principles so deeply embedded in the HSSH agenda.

The  series is another remarkable initiative that reflects the intellectual energy of the community here. It showcases how diverse methods, or inventive combinations of them, can yield rich insights. In that sense, it perfectly captures what makes HSSH such a vibrant and forward-looking research environment.

Finally, the  stands out as a truly dynamic space for scholarly exchange. It not only brings together researchers across disciplines but also fosters genuine cross-pollination between academia, society, and different European contexts. Being part of that ecosystem was an exceptional opportunity to deepen my research, contribute to shared projects, and help expand this growing network of collaboration."

What have you been working on during your stay at University of Helsinki and the HSSH and with whom?

"My position at HSSH was co-sponsored by Prof. Minna Ruckenstein and Prof. Matti Nelimarkka, and that interdisciplinary setup — bridging data science and social science — was an excellent fit for my background and research interests. I was affiliated with the , directed by Minna Ruckenstein, and worked closely with Dr. Pekka Mäkelä. We share a strong commitment to developing innovative methods of inquiry and to strengthening capacities for knowledge transfer across academia and society.

What I was able to bring to HSSH and the Repair Project was my experience in building collaborations with external partners through action research formats. Together, we engaged with several societal partners — including DVV, Kela, Demos, and Solita — and introduced them to the  (DEDA), a tool developed by the Data School at Utrecht University and widely used across the Dutch public sector. It has been gratifying to see DEDA now taken up in Finland as well, both by public institutions like DVV and Kela and in university teaching contexts. Our joint work around these collaborations has culminated in an article that will be published soon.

In 2023, I also initiated HSSH’s participation in the  in Brussels — a key European forum where policymakers, researchers, and civil society come together to discuss how data and AI are reshaping our societies. The following year, we organized  there to present the work of the Repair Project and to highlight the value of collaboration between practitioners and academic researchers.

Alongside that, I teamed up with Prof. Risto Kunelius to share my expertise in collaborative research practices as part of their  (which he is coordinating together with Pekka Mäkelä). It was also an opportunity for us to reflect on how to foster interdisciplinary teamwork more effectively.

What I’ve found particularly exciting is that my time here has extended well beyond my own position. It has sparked a lively exchange between Utrecht University and Helsinki. Colleagues from both sides have visited each other regularly: for instance, Sofie de Wilde de Ligny and Fleur Stalenhoef from Utrecht’s  co-organized a workshop with Aalto University and the City of Helsinki on implementing large language models in municipal contexts; Karin van Es gave a lecture at HSSH; Iris Muis and Julia Straatman delivered several DEDA workshops; and Joris Veerbeek, one of our PhD students, was invited to present at a conference here. These exchanges have built enduring partnerships, with projects and collaborations that are still ongoing today."

Why and how were these collaborations relevant and rewarding?

"Our collaboration has been especially productive because it fills a real gap in the field of Critical Data and AI Studies. The field is still largely shaped by US-centric narratives, which often don’t translate well to the European context. Working together has allowed us to examine how different European countries are responding to algorithms, data, and AI. We were able to explore both the shared challenges and the local specificities in how governments, civil society, and industry engage with these technologies.

What I find particularly exciting is that our joint research doesn’t stop at critique or conceptual reflection. It actively produces empirical evidence and develops practical, applicable solutions. This combination of theoretical depth and hands-on engagement is what makes the collaboration so intellectually stimulating and socially relevant.

We’ve also learned a great deal from each other methodologically — especially in refining and scaling our action research approaches. These exchanges have helped us adapt our methods to local contexts while also thinking about their broader applicability within the EU.

Beyond the research itself, the collaboration has sparked a vibrant network of people and ideas. Regular visits to Helsinki have led to new partnerships, with colleagues from both the University of Helsinki and Aalto University visiting the Netherlands, and members of our Data School joining projects and conferences in Finland. Our connections have also extended to Estonia and other European partners in Sweden, Austria, Belgium, and beyond. And just recently we started to collaborate with computer scientists at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.

It’s been rewarding to see how this academic collaboration has evolved into a truly European network; it even includes shared initiatives between our external partners in Finland and the Netherlands!"

Is there anything else you would like to mention about your visits?

"The University of Helsinki truly feels like my academic home away from Utrecht. Every visit here has been both a pleasure and a source of inspiration. I’ve been consistently impressed by the collegial and genuinely welcoming atmosphere among the researchers — it’s an environment that makes collaboration come naturally.

What I particularly value is how the visiting scholar programme and the broader mission of the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH) foster interdisciplinary dialogue and new ways of thinking about collaborative research. These experiences have not only broadened my academic network but also deepened my understanding of how research can bridge disciplinary boundaries.

Moreover, the strong Nordic focus on responsible AI, data practices, and good digital governance aligns closely with my own research interests. Engaging with these perspectives has given me valuable comparative insights and has been instrumental in shaping the direction of my current work."

29.10.2025 Brown Bag Seminar Special with Visiting Professor Mirko Schäfer's Farewell Lecture: Custodians of Algorithms & Guardians of Public Values – Investigating & Shaping Democratic Infrastructures for AI Accountability

The Methodological Unit of HSSH organizes a weekly Brown Bag Seminar to highlight novel methodological approaches in humanities and social sciences. Bring your own lunch, we bring fresh methodological topics!

Please note that this special Brown Bag Seminar lecture will be longer than usual, with a duration of 1.5 hours, from 12:15 to 13:45.

Artificial intelligence and big data systems have been widely criticized for the actual and potential harms they produce. In response, policymakers have introduced legislation to mitigate these risks. Industry narratives of responsible or trustworthy AI often aim to reassure citizens and regulators, while recent U.S. policy developments have instead dismissed ethical guidelines, fairness tests, and legal constraints as innovation-stifling burdens. In contrast, despite the European Commission’s recent retreat from strong AI regulation, public support for robust safeguards remains high across the EU.

Beyond landmark legislation such as the AI Act, a complex social web of actors, institutions, and practices has emerged to contest and shape algorithmic systems. This talk focuses on the Netherlands as a case study to examine how custodianship for algorithmic systems is being developed within public management. It explores the rise of formal education in AI literacies, the professionalization of roles dedicated to data and AI ethics, and the growing importance of government-mandated supervisory authorities. These forms of custodianship intersect with broader practices of contestation—spanning activism, advocacy, investigative journalism, and political deliberation, often at the municipal level.

Finally, the talk reflects on the role of action researchers in critical data and AI studies, examining how they can contribute to and strengthen these emerging practices. Drawing on the recent publication Collaborative Research in the Datafied Society: Methods and Practices of Investigation and Intervention (Schäfer, Van Es, Lauriault, 2024), it invites discussion on the opportunities and challenges of collaborative and action-oriented research in shaping a democratic digital society.

Discussant: Minna Ruckenstein

Mirko Tobias Schäfer is Associate Professor of AI, Data & Society and Science Lead of the Data School Utrecht University. His research explores the societal impact of datafication, algorithms, and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on public management, and citizenship. He is co-editor of Collaborative Research in the Datafied Society. Methods and Practices of Investigation and Intervention (Amsterdam University Press, 2024). Dr. Schäfer also serves on the Advisory Board Analytics of the Netherlands' Ministry of Finance. For the past three years, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of Helsinki’s Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities.

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Please join us on Wednesday 29.10. at 12.15 to listen and discuss!

​​​​​​​You are welcome to join us at our seminar room 524 Fabianinkatu 24 A (access via door, not courtyard), 5th floor or online via zoom.

30.10. Immerse, investigate & intervene! A Workshop on Developing Action-oriented Collaborative Research
 

Workshop Announcement

Title: Immerse, investigate & intervene! A Workshop on Developing Action-oriented Collaborative Research
Duration: 3 hours
Organizers: HSSH, workhop is led by Mirko Tobias Schäfer & Pekka Mäkelä with contributions from Minna Ruckenstein (University of Helsinki), Juuli Hilska (Noren) and Joonas Aitonurmi (DVV)
Date & location: Thursday 30.10.2025 at 14-17, Fabianinkatu 24a, 5th floor seminar room 524

Description

How can researchers move beyond studying society to participating in shaping it?

This interactive workshop explores how to design and conduct collaborative, action-oriented research that makes a difference. Drawing on insights from Collaborative Research for the Datafied Society (Schäfer, van Es & Lauriault), we will discuss how collaboration with societal stakeholders can transform research agendas, generate new forms of knowledge, and support meaningful interventions in real-world settings.

The session begins with two concise presentations introducing the epistemic and practical value of collaboration, followed by a stakeholder perspective highlighting expectations and lessons from outside academia. 

After the break participants will work in groups to develop their own perspective on collaborative research and brokering activities.

•  Getting Started: Build the basics of a collaborative research project, map stakeholders, and identify shared concerns and develop tactics for immersion, and possibly sketch activities for intervention.

By the end, participants will have concrete ideas for connecting their research to societal partners and for shaping interventions that both generate insight and contribute to improvement in a societal sector.

Who should participate

Researchers, PhD candidates, and practitioners interested in co-creating knowledge and change through collaborative, embedded, and participatory research approaches. No prior experience required — choose the breakout that best fits your stage. (This workshop is also highly recommended for university admins, and support stuff to learn more about what is needed to facilitate such efforts.)

Takeaways

• Deeper understanding of the value and practice of collaborative research.
• Tools to map stakeholders and design interventions.
• A draft idea or next step to make your research more collaborative, relevant, and impactful.

Further Reading:

Schäfer, M., van Es, K. and Lauriault, T., 2024. Making a Difference: The Epistemic Value of Collaborative Research in a Datafied Society. In Collaborative Research in the Datafied Society: Methods and Practices for Investigation and Intervention (pp. 19-33). Amsterdam University Press.

Büchner, S., Zakharova, I., Jarke, J., et al. 2024. Participation as Imposition: Problem assessments and recommendations for enabling participatory research. Position paper. Volkswagen Stiftung.

10.11. Panel discussion: AI-Augmented Social Sciences and Humanities: New Methods or Just Hype?

10.11. 2025 16.00–18.00 at Helsinki Collegium Common Room, Fabianinkatu 24 A, 3rd floor.

From chatbots to synthetic media, AI often refers to systems that learn from data to generate predictions, text, images, or decisions. These tools have clear uses in quantitative work (data science and large-scale analytics), sometimes sidelining interpretive or participatory approaches. Yet the same models can also extend qualitative social science methods: language models that co-produce field diaries, clustering tools that preserve narrative context, and chatbot “informants” that reflect the cultures embedded in their training data.

Our event brings together perspectives from philosophy and social science to examine these developments. Pohjonen, Knuutila and de Seta will give an overview of new approaches, especially in applying AI to ethnographic research. Samuli Reijula will discuss both the potential and limits of such techniques, including opacity, bias and the risk of losing context.

The event connects to the forthcoming Routledge edited volume Synthetic Situations, which gathers methodological experiments at the intersection of AI and ethnography. It is organised by the AI Ethnography network, funded by an HSSH Catalyst grant.

The discussion will be followed by a reception with drinks and nibbles.

Speaker bios:

Samuli Reijula is a university lecturer in theoretical philosophy at the University of Helsinki. His work lies at the intersection of philosophy of science, cognitive science, and the science of science. Reijula’s research examines problem-solving processes in scientific groups and collectives, how cognitive diversity shapes inquiry, and how computational models can illuminate the epistemic dynamics of science. He is a founding organizer of the European Network for the Science of Science and co-founder of the Institutional Epistemology Workshop series. He currently leads the project "Scientist in the loop - Automation of scientific discovery (SCI-AI)" funded by the Research Council of Finland.

Gabriele de Seta is, technically, a sociologist. He is a Researcher at the University of Bergen, where he leads the ALGOFOLK project (“Algorithmic folklore: The mutual shaping of vernacular creativity and automation”) funded by a Trond Mohn Foundation Starting Grant (2024-2028). Gabriele holds a PhD from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica and at the University of Bergen, where he was part of the ERC-funded project “Machine Vision in Everyday Life”. His research, grounded in qualitative and ethnographic methods, focuses on digital media practices, sociotechnical infrastructures, and vernacular creativity in the Chinese-speaking world. He is also interested in experimental, creative, and collaborative approaches to knowledge production.

Dr Matti Pohjonen currently works as a Senior Researcher for the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH), University of Helsinki, working with methodological development on the use of internet and social media data, including debates on generative AI and LLMs. He also currently co-leads the EU Horizon-funded project ARM, which focuses on information suppression and information freedoms in China, Russia, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Dr Aleksi Knuutila is a University Researcher at the Department of Sociology at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities. After his doctorate in the Digital Anthropology programme at University College London, Knuutila’s research has focused on online harms, such as misinformation and harassment, and on how political groups take advantage of contemporary information environments. His current research projects focus on developing tools and infrastructure for journalists working on conflicts and applying generative AI to interpretative research workflows.

Roundtable in Athens Examined Disinformation and Freedom of Expression

The , in collaboration with Panteion University, held a roundtable in Athens, Greece, in early October to discuss disinformation and freedom of expression from comparative European and global perspectives.

Senior University Researcher Matti Pohjonen and Doctoral Researcher Amanuel Tesfaye Kebede participated in the event. Together they lead the Ethiopian work package of the ARM Project, researching authoritarian practices of information suppression in digital environments through different methodologies.

The Athens event brought together journalists, researchers, and human rights experts to discuss how information control, disinformation, and shrinking media independence affect both authoritarian and democratic societies.

Speakers noted that restrictions on free speech are no longer limited to repressive regimes. ARM Scientific Coordinator Lovise Aalen highlighted that “illiberal practices span across regime types,” while David Díaz-Jogeix of  warned of a “deterioration of standards of freedom of expression in the EU.”

The Greek media landscape provided a vivid example of these challenges. Journalists Nektaria Stamouli (Politico, Kathimerini) and Eliza Triantafyllou (Inside Story) described growing editorial control and self-censorship, while Professor Dimitris Christopoulos of Panteion University observed that the press is “free, but not independent.”

Despite the worrying trends, Aalen emphasized that progress is possible, citing recent improvements in countries like Brazil and Poland. The EU Horizon-funded ARM Project will continue to investigate the transnational nature of information control and its impact on freedom of expression.

27.11. Workshop: Heterogeneity and variation in cognition, language, and behavior

Time: Thursday, November 27, 13:30–18:00
Venue: Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Fabianinkatu 24 A (3rd floor), Common Room & Online

Convenor: Kirby Deater-Deckard (University of Massachusetts Amherst & University of Turku)

The goal of this interdisciplinary workshop is to present current ideas and findings that advance understanding of heterogeneity in quantitative data pertaining to cognition, language, and behavior. The presenters will provide definitions, methods, and interpretations of findings from the perspectives of their disciplines. A panel discussion with the audience will identify key questions and potential future directions in research. The workshop will be preceded by coffee and followed by a light reception.

Program

13:30 Coffee & Welcome

14:00 Kirby Deater-Deckard (University of Massachusetts Amherst & University of Turku, developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience): Heterogeneity across development

14:30 Mikko Aro (University of Jyväskylä, educational psychology and special education): Variation and differential response in educational interventions

15:00 Ullrika Sahlin (Lund University, environmental and computational sciences): Quantifying uncertainty in science

15:30 Svetlana Vetchinnikova (University of Helsinki, linguistics): Modeling individual and morphosyntactic variation in language

16:00 Panel discussion

16:30 Drinks

This is a preliminary program and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the .

Registration

Please register for the workshop by completing the form below no later than November 19, 2025:

You may attend the workshop via Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to registered online participants the day before the event.