Laura K. Nelson
@lauraknelson.bsky.social
Associate Professor @ UBC
computational sociology
machine learning is feminist
You only have to look at the Medusa straight on to see her. And she’s not deadly. She’s beautiful and she’s laughing.
www.lauraknelson.com
computational sociology
machine learning is feminist
You only have to look at the Medusa straight on to see her. And she’s not deadly. She’s beautiful and she’s laughing.
www.lauraknelson.com
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Unintentional poetry from the lab notebooks of Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics 1923
November 9, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Unintentional poetry from the lab notebooks of Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics 1923
Setting aside whether resources should go to hiring AI faculty, the comments on this thread suggest that no one could possibly be an expert in AI yet.
I'm begging and pleading y'all: AI DID NOT START IN 2022. IT GOES BACK TO THE 1940s. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERTS IN AI AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS.
I'm begging and pleading y'all: AI DID NOT START IN 2022. IT GOES BACK TO THE 1940s. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERTS IN AI AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS.
November 7, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Setting aside whether resources should go to hiring AI faculty, the comments on this thread suggest that no one could possibly be an expert in AI yet.
I'm begging and pleading y'all: AI DID NOT START IN 2022. IT GOES BACK TO THE 1940s. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERTS IN AI AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS.
I'm begging and pleading y'all: AI DID NOT START IN 2022. IT GOES BACK TO THE 1940s. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERTS IN AI AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS.
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
We're hiring 2 Assistant Professors of Sociology: Gender and Sexuality and Environmental Sociology. At @tcdsociology.bsky.social, we aspire to be a method-agnostic group of solution-oriented sociologists. Join our welcoming community at @tcdschoolssp.bsky.social. Deadline 1 Dec. Link in the comment.
November 7, 2025 at 8:04 PM
We're hiring 2 Assistant Professors of Sociology: Gender and Sexuality and Environmental Sociology. At @tcdsociology.bsky.social, we aspire to be a method-agnostic group of solution-oriented sociologists. Join our welcoming community at @tcdschoolssp.bsky.social. Deadline 1 Dec. Link in the comment.
4+ faculty searches at UIUC 👀
Our School of Information Sciences is running four searches, and we can hire more than four candidates. Here’s the first link, for a job that might appeal to people working in history of information, history of science, or digital humanities. +
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Information, Culture & Society - School of Information Science
Duties & Responsibilities
illinois.csod.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:03 PM
4+ faculty searches at UIUC 👀
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Our School of Information Sciences is running four searches, and we can hire more than four candidates. Here’s the first link, for a job that might appeal to people working in history of information, history of science, or digital humanities. +
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Information, Culture & Society - School of Information Science
Duties & Responsibilities
illinois.csod.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Our School of Information Sciences is running four searches, and we can hire more than four candidates. Here’s the first link, for a job that might appeal to people working in history of information, history of science, or digital humanities. +
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
why intern at Ai2?
🐟interns own major parts of our model development, sometimes even leading whole projects
🐡we're committed to open science & actively help our interns publish their work
reach out if u wanna build open language models together 🤝
links 👇
🐟interns own major parts of our model development, sometimes even leading whole projects
🐡we're committed to open science & actively help our interns publish their work
reach out if u wanna build open language models together 🤝
links 👇
November 5, 2025 at 11:11 PM
why intern at Ai2?
🐟interns own major parts of our model development, sometimes even leading whole projects
🐡we're committed to open science & actively help our interns publish their work
reach out if u wanna build open language models together 🤝
links 👇
🐟interns own major parts of our model development, sometimes even leading whole projects
🐡we're committed to open science & actively help our interns publish their work
reach out if u wanna build open language models together 🤝
links 👇
Read this whole, excellent thread (especially if you're in higher ed in Canada)
I've seen an alternative argument going around that academics should instead step back and essentially see how things play out with AI, having confidence that if it sticks around (and doesn't go the way of the MOOC) it'll be adapted to academic needs and vice versa, like email, the internet +
Wrote a short piece arguing that higher ed must help steer AI. TLDR: If we outsource this to tech, we outsource our whole business. But rejectionism is basically stalling. If we want to survive, schools themselves must proactively shape AI for education & research. [1/6, unpaywalled at 5/6] +
November 5, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Read this whole, excellent thread (especially if you're in higher ed in Canada)
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
I've seen an alternative argument going around that academics should instead step back and essentially see how things play out with AI, having confidence that if it sticks around (and doesn't go the way of the MOOC) it'll be adapted to academic needs and vice versa, like email, the internet +
Wrote a short piece arguing that higher ed must help steer AI. TLDR: If we outsource this to tech, we outsource our whole business. But rejectionism is basically stalling. If we want to survive, schools themselves must proactively shape AI for education & research. [1/6, unpaywalled at 5/6] +
Opinion | AI Is the Future. Higher Ed Should Shape It.
If we want to stay at the forefront of knowledge production, we must fit technology to our needs.
www.chronicle.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:43 PM
I've seen an alternative argument going around that academics should instead step back and essentially see how things play out with AI, having confidence that if it sticks around (and doesn't go the way of the MOOC) it'll be adapted to academic needs and vice versa, like email, the internet +
"[I]f disciplines move proactively, they can dramatize their central role, and show that our campuses are not just lovely places to scribble in blue books but sites where students discover things that aren’t yet contained in any model."
♥️
Approach AI with curiosity and a little wonder, not dread.
♥️
Approach AI with curiosity and a little wonder, not dread.
Wrote a short piece arguing that higher ed must help steer AI. TLDR: If we outsource this to tech, we outsource our whole business. But rejectionism is basically stalling. If we want to survive, schools themselves must proactively shape AI for education & research. [1/6, unpaywalled at 5/6] +
Opinion | AI Is the Future. Higher Ed Should Shape It.
If we want to stay at the forefront of knowledge production, we must fit technology to our needs.
www.chronicle.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:20 AM
"[I]f disciplines move proactively, they can dramatize their central role, and show that our campuses are not just lovely places to scribble in blue books but sites where students discover things that aren’t yet contained in any model."
♥️
Approach AI with curiosity and a little wonder, not dread.
♥️
Approach AI with curiosity and a little wonder, not dread.
Help me out: there's a clip in a Michael Moore documentary where he asks the same questions to rich and working class people. E.g. what is the best vintage for X winery? (the rich know) How do you fix a toilet that runs all the time? (the working class knows). Which documentary and where in it?
November 3, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Help me out: there's a clip in a Michael Moore documentary where he asks the same questions to rich and working class people. E.g. what is the best vintage for X winery? (the rich know) How do you fix a toilet that runs all the time? (the working class knows). Which documentary and where in it?
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Interested in resources to help students learn what "counts" as an argument when interpreting a text. Because they're accustomed to more empirical modes of argument, they struggle with the difference between "interpret" and "just say your opinion." Any resources that outline this in a helpful way?
November 3, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Interested in resources to help students learn what "counts" as an argument when interpreting a text. Because they're accustomed to more empirical modes of argument, they struggle with the difference between "interpret" and "just say your opinion." Any resources that outline this in a helpful way?
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Delighted to announce we are advertising our first academic post in the Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods (CASSM). The position is Associate Professor in Politics, Technology and Computational Social Science and is joint with Politics, the Oxford Internet Institute, and Reuben College 1/n
Job Details
my.corehr.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Delighted to announce we are advertising our first academic post in the Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods (CASSM). The position is Associate Professor in Politics, Technology and Computational Social Science and is joint with Politics, the Oxford Internet Institute, and Reuben College 1/n
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Come be my boss!
The new AI & Society Dept., focusing on critical and community-driven approaches to AI, is looking for our first permanent chair.
Please feel free to reach out with questions!
www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/postings/58816
[Plz repost]
The new AI & Society Dept., focusing on critical and community-driven approaches to AI, is looking for our first permanent chair.
Please feel free to reach out with questions!
www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/postings/58816
[Plz repost]
Professor, Department Chair of AI and Society
The Department of AI and Society at the University at Buffalo, invites applications from outstanding scholars with excellent leadership abilities for the position of Department Chair. The Department o...
www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu
October 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Come be my boss!
The new AI & Society Dept., focusing on critical and community-driven approaches to AI, is looking for our first permanent chair.
Please feel free to reach out with questions!
www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/postings/58816
[Plz repost]
The new AI & Society Dept., focusing on critical and community-driven approaches to AI, is looking for our first permanent chair.
Please feel free to reach out with questions!
www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/postings/58816
[Plz repost]
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
📣 I am hiring a postdoc! aial.ie/hiring/postd...
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
October 30, 2025 at 7:51 PM
📣 I am hiring a postdoc! aial.ie/hiring/postd...
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome
pls share with your networks
Ok y'all I'm throwing out a hot take on LLMs in Toronto in January:
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
Data Sciences Speaker Series - DSI
The Data Sciences Speaker Series is a collaboration of data science programs at U of T. Seminars are held on the third Monday of each month.
datasciences.utoronto.ca
October 29, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Ok y'all I'm throwing out a hot take on LLMs in Toronto in January:
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
Does anyone know anything about study [dot] com? Do people use it? It comes up often on the first page of Google search results and I watched a video from it on Marx and it was terrible. Like it got every single thing wrong about his writing. Brutal information environment out there these days yall
October 27, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Does anyone know anything about study [dot] com? Do people use it? It comes up often on the first page of Google search results and I watched a video from it on Marx and it was terrible. Like it got every single thing wrong about his writing. Brutal information environment out there these days yall
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Use @kagi.com and stop assuming that “search” is Google. We have options that are BETTER than Google, so let’s support and use them.
I don't think we understand just how bad the decline of the Internet is to knowledge.
3 years ago, I could perform a very basic search in any engine and get an absurd number of relevant links, research articles, etc.
Today, I can perform the same search and find absolutely nothing.
3 years ago, I could perform a very basic search in any engine and get an absurd number of relevant links, research articles, etc.
Today, I can perform the same search and find absolutely nothing.
October 27, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Use @kagi.com and stop assuming that “search” is Google. We have options that are BETTER than Google, so let’s support and use them.
A student made a passing remark that lower drinking rates among the youths may in part be the risk of drunk incidents being broadcast online. Less drinking is good, full stop. But this ... that's just such a stressful way to live compared to my UG days. No big point here, it just made me reflect.
October 26, 2025 at 7:52 PM
A student made a passing remark that lower drinking rates among the youths may in part be the risk of drunk incidents being broadcast online. Less drinking is good, full stop. But this ... that's just such a stressful way to live compared to my UG days. No big point here, it just made me reflect.
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
We're reopening our survey to gather more responses. If you didn't get a chance before, we'd love to hear about your DH experiences in the United States. The survey will remain open until 12/15.
We are conducting a survey to assess career satisfaction of individuals who completed formal Digital Humanities training during undergrad/grad school in the United States. The survey takes about 20 minutes. Must be 18. IRB protocol # 2024-347.
#DH #digitalhumanities
forms.gle/PZxYoGHZFa58...
#DH #digitalhumanities
forms.gle/PZxYoGHZFa58...
Digital Humanities Job Survey
This survey aims to assess how Digital Humanities (DH) and DH-adjacent programs in the United States have influenced career paths and professional development. The goal is to evaluate how well undergr...
forms.gle
October 23, 2025 at 8:45 PM
We're reopening our survey to gather more responses. If you didn't get a chance before, we'd love to hear about your DH experiences in the United States. The survey will remain open until 12/15.
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Join us on Thursday, 23 October, at 14:30 CET for the International Roundtable on Computational Social Science with Andrei Boutyline 🔹 Meaning in hyperspace: Word embeddings as tools for cultural measurement 🔹 More info: liu.se/en/event/int...
International Roundtable on Computational Social Science: Meaning in hyperspace: Word embeddings as tools for cultural measurement
Welcome to Welcome to the International Roundtable on Computational Social Science with Andrei Boutyline, University of Michigan, USA. The seminar is open for the public. Language: English. Please con...
liu.se
October 21, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Join us on Thursday, 23 October, at 14:30 CET for the International Roundtable on Computational Social Science with Andrei Boutyline 🔹 Meaning in hyperspace: Word embeddings as tools for cultural measurement 🔹 More info: liu.se/en/event/int...
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
UBC’s department of Computer Science invites applications for up to 2 full-time tenure-track positions. The department is particularly interested in researchers in: visualization, robotics, reinforcement learning, data management, and data mining. @cs.ubc.ca
science.ubc.ca/about/careers
science.ubc.ca/about/careers
October 21, 2025 at 5:07 PM
UBC’s department of Computer Science invites applications for up to 2 full-time tenure-track positions. The department is particularly interested in researchers in: visualization, robotics, reinforcement learning, data management, and data mining. @cs.ubc.ca
science.ubc.ca/about/careers
science.ubc.ca/about/careers
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
There’s nothing I love more than learning a material culture origin to a common word/phrase—little linguistic skeuomorphs—so just imagine my delight reading about the "tapered or wedge-shaped bars" that added spaces into linotype text
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
October 21, 2025 at 7:40 PM
There’s nothing I love more than learning a material culture origin to a common word/phrase—little linguistic skeuomorphs—so just imagine my delight reading about the "tapered or wedge-shaped bars" that added spaces into linotype text
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
Whoa Harvard sociology is ranked #1 in the world. From 6 PhD students to 0.
(rankings vary, of course, but latest QS world rankings put them at #1)
(rankings vary, of course, but latest QS world rankings put them at #1)
Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs
- Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75%
- Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60%
- Social Sciences by 50–70%
- History by 60%
- Biology by 75%
- The German department will lose all PhD seats
- Sociology from six PhD students to zero
- Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75%
- Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60%
- Social Sciences by 50–70%
- History by 60%
- Biology by 75%
- The German department will lose all PhD seats
- Sociology from six PhD students to zero
Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for th...
www.thecrimson.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Whoa Harvard sociology is ranked #1 in the world. From 6 PhD students to 0.
(rankings vary, of course, but latest QS world rankings put them at #1)
(rankings vary, of course, but latest QS world rankings put them at #1)
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
Gender & Women’s Studies at UW-Madison is currently hiring for a tenure-track position focused on gender/sexuality & AGING! We are an interdisciplinary department & welcome scholars across fields (humanities but also PSYCH, POP HEALTH, SOCIOLOGY, etc.) Deadline: Nov 11! jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
Assistant/Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies (RISE - THRIVE) - Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...
jobs.wisc.edu
October 20, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Gender & Women’s Studies at UW-Madison is currently hiring for a tenure-track position focused on gender/sexuality & AGING! We are an interdisciplinary department & welcome scholars across fields (humanities but also PSYCH, POP HEALTH, SOCIOLOGY, etc.) Deadline: Nov 11! jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
Reposted by Laura K. Nelson
🇫🇷 We are hiring 🇫🇷
Assistant or Associate Professor Position in Computational Sociology @crestsociology.bsky.social @ipparis.bsky.social
Details here (please RT)
www.shorturl.at/E57le
Assistant or Associate Professor Position in Computational Sociology @crestsociology.bsky.social @ipparis.bsky.social
Details here (please RT)
www.shorturl.at/E57le
October 20, 2025 at 2:40 PM
🇫🇷 We are hiring 🇫🇷
Assistant or Associate Professor Position in Computational Sociology @crestsociology.bsky.social @ipparis.bsky.social
Details here (please RT)
www.shorturl.at/E57le
Assistant or Associate Professor Position in Computational Sociology @crestsociology.bsky.social @ipparis.bsky.social
Details here (please RT)
www.shorturl.at/E57le