ODISSEI Podcast

The Summer Institutes in Computational Social Science with Chris Bail

Tom Emery speaks with Chris Bail, Professor of Sociology, Computer Science, Political Science, and Public Policy at Duke University and co-founder of SICSS (the Summer Institutes in Computational Social Science). Nearly ten years on, Chris reflects on how SICSS grew from a single location to more than 50 worldwide, and the community that made it possible. He also explains why the part of the courses in which participants develop their own projects is the heart of the programme: a space where experimentation, and even failure, is part of learning. And with AI reshaping both education and the social sciences, Chris draws on the lessons of COVID-era adaptation to ask what it means to teach in the age of LLMs. Affiliations:  * Dr. Chris Bail, Professor of Sociology, Computer Science, Political Science, and Public Policy at Duke University; Co-founder of the Summer Institutes in Computational Social Sciences * Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links:  https://sicss.io/apply#faq https://sicss.io/overview https://github.com/compsocialscience/summer-institute https://sicss.io/tom

The Comparative Panel File with Konrad Turek

In this episode, Tom Emery speaks with Konrad Turek, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tilburg University and a core team member of the Comparative Panel File (CPF). As the recipient of the first ODISSEI Open Science Award, Konrad reflects on how seeing science as a collective endeavour, rather than an individual pursuit, shaped the development of the CPF with a small group of collaborators. He also discusses how open-source harmonisation projects like the CPF enhance explanatory power by enabling meaningful comparisons across countries and survey studies. Affiliations:  * Dr. Konrad Turek, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tilburg University * Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful Links: https://cpfdata.com/ https://sociologicalscience.com/articles-v11-33-907/ https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1673209/full

Using ODISSEI with Kasia Karpinska

In this episode, Tom Emery is joined by Kasia Karpinska, Scientific Manager at ODISSEI, to talk about how researchers can get started with the ODISSEI infrastructure. Kasia shares practical insights on grant applications and using multiple ODISSEI facilities together. They also introduce the ODISSEI Early Career Board — a new initiative designed to support early-career researchers through training, development, and networking opportunities. Affiliations:  * Dr. Kasia Karpinska, Scientific Manager of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science * Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful Links: https://odissei-data.nl/facility/microdata-access-grant/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/cbs-microdata-discount/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/liss-panel-access/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/odissei-soda-fellowship/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/grant-application-support/

Software for Science with Adriënne Mendrik

In this episode, Tom Emery speaks with Adriënne Mendrik, CEO and Co-founder of Eyra, an open-source software services company specialising in solutions for scientific research. Adriënne shares her journey from computer science and medical imaging to building software that supports sustainable and transparent research practices. She also discusses Eyra’s work in benchmarking and data donation initiatives, the role of open source in research software, and how her team helps shape advancements in social science infrastructure. Affiliations: * Adriënne Mendrik, CEO and Co-founder of Eyra * Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links:  https://www.eyra.co/

Historical Data Linkage with Kristina Thompson

In this episode, we talk with Kristina Thompson from Wageningen University about the intersection of historical data and public health research. She explains why the Netherlands has such rich data resources, how historical trends illuminate health and society even today, and how automation can help improve the records. Kristina also shares her experience working with Delpher, the digitised historical newspaper archive, as well as other historical archival collections. Affiliations: * Kristina Thompson, Assistant Professor at the University of Wageningen.  * Dr. Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links: https://www.delpher.nl/ [https://www.delpher.nl/] https://www.wur.nl/nl/personen/km-kristina-thompson [https://www.wur.nl/nl/personen/km-kristina-thompson]