The mission of IAS is to advance cutting-edge interdisciplinary research that addresses complex scientific and societal challenges. At IAS we bring together imaginative researchers with a background beyond one discipline, artists and decision-makers to jointly tackle emerging questions. We run an international fellowship program and host and organise events to spark ideas, exchange knowledge, facilitate networking and create new research partnerships.
On July 2, 2024, we brought together over 150 PhD candidates and Postdocs from different disciplines across the UvA for the first IAS Academy, a conference specifically aimed at early career researchers. Participants had the opportunity to share their unique perspectives and ideas. The event featured various parallel workshops on topics such as climate change, polarisation, and complex systems, hosted by senior researchers within the IAS community. The day concluded with an informal networking event, celebrating interdisciplinary collaborations.
We appointed a Journalist-in-Residence for the first time in 2024 to explore the similarities and differences between scientific and journalistic research. The IAS Journalist Residency provides a platform for a (science) journalist to engage with our curiosity-driven research community and undertake a journalistic project aligned with the IAS mission. Sanne Bloemink, author of four books and numerous articles and pieces for various publications, was selected in January 2024 as the IAS Journalist-in-Residence. Over the year, she has worked on a series of long reads for De Groene Amsterdammer, inspired by research conducted at IAS.
The Future Generations initiative promotes interdisciplinary conversations across academia, policymakers, and civil society. It seeks to integrate the voices of future generations into scientific and policy debates, focusing on intergenerational justice, sustainability, and health. Aligned with the University of Amsterdam’s strategic plan, the initiative aims to bridge science with society and catalyse positive societal change for the well-being of current and future generations through a series of interactive events and a podcast. On November 7th, 2023, we launched the initiative and discussed why we need to consider future generations. In February and May of 2024, we delved into how we think about future generations, emphasizing intergenerational justice and deep democracy, and what we can do to contribute to a world where future generations can thrive.
In 2024, POLDER has established its first research lab in collaboration with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). They will work together on the project ‘Computational Modelling of Social Tipping Points’ (COMTIP), to improve the methods and tools used by the RIVM to carry out its work for the ministries. The collaboration will start in early 2025 and last for four years, during which they will seek synergies with other projects on social tipping points.
In the context of our ongoing collaboration with the UvA Data Science Centre (DSC), we hosted a preparatory session for a Lorentz workshop organized by our joint former fellow Prof. Anne Beaulieu from Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen. The Lorentz workshop focussed on the relationship between assessment of citizen science and specific values. Three speakers highlighted how different values enter their work on citizen science, as input to get us thinking about how different assumptions about what matters shapes how we might evaluate citizen science infrastructures.
In this interactive seminar, we hosted Pamela Ohene-Nyako (PhD candidate, University of Geneva), Darshan Vigneswaran (Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam) and Micha Hamel (artist), who explored the concept of equality as the cornerstone of democracy. By giving a 10-minute introduction to start a collective thinking process, they tackled the question “how can we prevent the reproduction of existing inequalities in designing the future in scholarship, policy making and the arts?”.
On October 15, 2024, we welcomed IAS External Faculty Member Paul Edwards (Director of the Program in Science at Stanford University and Professor of Information and History (Emeritus) at the University of Michigan). He organized a workshop with scientists, scholars, and artists, on how we can hold and communicate multiple temporal and spatial scales. How can we re-imagine time and temporality for an accelerating Anthropocene? How can we re-think relations between time, technology, and energy?
In 2024, leading complexity scientists David Krakauer, President of the Santa Fe Institute and part of the IAS Board of Advisors, and Stefan Thurner, President of the Complexity Science Hub Vienna and IAS External Faculty Member, visited the IAS. Krakauer explored the evolution of intelligence and collective stupidity, while Thurner offered key insights at the launch of the book A Sociology of Humankind by Jeroen Bruggeman.
Discover the journeys of IAS (alumni) fellows through their personal blogs, where they reflect on their fellowship experiences. They share their achievements, highlight the outcomes of their work, and offer valuable insights into what it means to be part of the Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam. Each story provides a distinct perspective on the challenges and rewards of interdisciplinary research.
Meet the IAS (alumni) fellows through their kick-off videos, where they introduce their research and plans for their fellowship. In these presentations, they share the vision behind their projects, outline their goals, and discuss the questions they aim to explore at the Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam. Each video offers a glimpse into the innovative and interdisciplinary work ahead, setting the stage for discovery and collaboration.
The workshop, Exploring the Interaction Between Conceptualization and Measurement Across the Sciences, led by former Fellow Jolien Francken, marks a key moment in IAS’s focus on measurement, a new part of the IAS research theme Foundations and Methods, introduced this year. Bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines, the event fostered interdisciplinary exchange on how conceptual frameworks and measurement practices influence each other. By exploring examples from across the sciences, participants aimed to refine measurement techniques and better understand the theoretical implications of measurement processes and discussed responsible measurement practices.
In April 2024, IAS Alumni Fellows Jorien Treur, Robyn Wootton, and Margot van de Weijer organized an expert meeting on triangulation, in line with the IAS’s Foundations and Methods theme. The meeting brought together experts to explore how combining different research approaches can enhance causal inference in mental health. By discussing triangulation strategies, the event aimed to improve the reliability of identifying causal risk factors, ultimately contributing to more effective mental health prevention and treatment strategies.
On May 29, 2024, the UvA Institute for Advanced Study, in collaboration with the UBIAS network and the Paris Institute for Advanced Study, co-organized the summit “Responsible Use of Generative AI for Science and Society” in Paris. The event, initiated by IAS Associate Claudi Bockting, gathered international scholars and experts from organizations like OECD, UNESCO, International Science Council, and the European Commission. The summit aimed to identify key priorities for the responsible use of generative AI and explore next steps toward establishing independent auditing mechanisms, promoting accountability, transparency, and ethical guidelines in AI development and its societal applications.
Former IAS Fellows Brian Castellani and Lasse Gerrits launched the book The Atlas of Social Complexity at IAS: a reflection on the achievements and future directions of complexity theory in the social sciences in 2024. Drawing on their work during their IAS fellowships, Castellani and Gerrits examine the evolution of social complexity and call for a renewed imagination in the field. During the event, they presented the first copy of the book to IAS Director Prof. Huub Dijstelbloem. The launch explored themes ranging from bacteria behaviour to power dynamics in social networks, offering new insights into understanding social complexity.
At the beginning of 2024, the POLDER Simulation Center (POLDER) was launched at SustainLab. POLDER aims to help policymakers to unravel complex challenges and explore new ways of intervention. The launch highlighted the use of complexity science to simulate what-if scenarios and explore effective interventions. Through collaboration with policymakers, POLDER supports evidence-based policy by modelling complex systems and visualizing outcomes.
The workshop Tipping Points Towards Sustainability, organized by IAS Alumni Fellow Floor Alkemade (Technology, Innovation and Society Department at University of Eindhoven) and Claudia R. Binder (Laboratory for Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (EPFL)) explored the role of tipping points in designing sustainable transition pathways. The event focused on advancing the theory, measurement, and simulation tools needed to understand tipping dynamics in socio-ecological-technical systems. Participants discussed how small interventions could lead to large, irreversible changes, and how to anticipate and foster positive tipping dynamics for sustainability transitions.
IAS takes pride in organizing and hosting a variety of series that align with our overarching themes. These series provide a vibrant platform for interdisciplinary exploration, thought-provoking discussions, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration among experts, scholars, and practitioners from diverse fields. By fostering dialogue across disciplines, these series aim to address complex challenges and promote innovative insights.