Event Announcement: Competition Law in the Digital Era: AI and other new challenges
Professor Stefan Böschen, Director of the KHK c:o/re, and the Exploratory Research Space (ERS) of RWTH Aachen University invite you to another lecture of the “ERS invites…” series, this time featuring Dr. Pēteris Zilgalvis, Judge at the General Court of the European Union, to discuss how AI is reshaping the legal landscape from various perspectives.
AI has the potential to increase effectiveness and foster innovation in the public sector, including courts. At the same time, its development, implementation, and governance must take into account the threats it might pose to fundamental rights. Furthermore, AI has significant implications for competition law.
Dr. Pēteris Zilgalvis is a Judge on the General Court of the European Union and serves on its Management Board as well as the Artificial Intelligence Management Board of the Court of Justice of the EU. Previously, he headed the Digital Innovation and Blockchain Unit in the European Commission’s Digital Single Market Directorate and co-chaired the European Commission FinTech Task Force.
The lecture will take place on Friday, 24 January 2025, from 12 to 1.30 pm in the Generali Saal at Super C, located at Templergraben 57 in Aachen. To register and for further information, please visit the event website.
Get to know our Fellows: Grit Laudel
Get to know our current fellows and gain an impression of their research. In a new season of short videos, we asked them to introduce themselves, talk about their work at the KHK c:o/re and the research questions that fascinate them.
How do institutional research conditions such as funding, evaluation or national career systems affect the way in which researchers produce contributions to scientific knowledge? In the latest video, Grit Laudel, sociologist of science, gives insights into her work comparing research in different fields.
Check out our media section or our YouTube channel to have a look at the other videos.
Special Issue: From Automation to Autonomy: Human Machine Relations in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Together with Frank Piller (RWTH Aachen University), Caja Thimm and Maximilian Mayer (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn), KHK c:o/re director Gabriele Gramelsberger co-edited a special issue of the journal “Human Machine Communications” on the shift from automation to autonomy. The guest-edited issue just appeared online.
As machines today gain capabilities that resemble autonomous agency (think of AI agents, for example), the line between human and machine autonomy is blurring, challenging traditional concepts of agency, control, and independence.
In this special issue, the authors explore the complexities of attributing autonomy to machines and AI systems. Philosophical, sociological, and technical approaches converge to explore how emerging forms of machine autonomy impact human agency, freedom, and decision-making, with applications ranging from autonomous vehicles to digital assistants and military drones.
The central topic is the growing tension between viewing autonomy as a positive attribute and the concerns about diminishing human authority in the face of increasingly independent technologies.
In the opening essay, the authors ask for an integrated understanding of autonomy as both an individual and collective construct, reflecting the highly complex and quickly evolving nature of current societal, ethical, and technological challenges.
You can find the paper on this website, the full issue follwing this link.
Lecture Series: Change of Date – Sabina Leonelli
The lecture “What Role for History and Philosophy of Science in STS? Critical Engagements with Empirical Inquiry” by Sabina Leonelli, part of our Lecture Series Expanding Science and Technology Studies in the winter semester 2024/25, will take place on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 instead of Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
To take part either online or in presence, please write a short email to events@khk.rwth-aachen.de.
Call for Applications 2025/26
Open call for applications for up to ten fellowships (postdoctoral to senior level) starting in October 2025 for up to twelve months, application deadline December 31, 2024.
Fellowships
The Käte Hamburger Kolleg Cultures of Research (c:o/re) is an international center for advanced studies at RWTH Aachen University, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The center has openings for a total of ten international fellows from the humanities and social sciences, as well as from natural, life, and technical sciences. Fellows will be offered a free space in which to develop their own research and to exchange ideas with each other. Cultures of Research is positioned where the fields of history, philosophy, and sociology interface with natural science and technology. The focus of the center’s work is on the manifold research cultures within the sciences, their commonalities and differences, and how they are transformed through interdisciplinary discourse. We are particularly interested in exploring the concepts of ‘digitality/complexity’, ‘globality/varieties of science’ and ‘expanded STS’ together with international fellows.
For the year 2025/2026 we are particularly, but not exclusively interested in the topic of ‘digitality/complexity’. Proposals may address
- the digital/non-digital divide in science and engineering,
- the varieties of digital cultures for knowledge production, and
- the influence of AI on science and technology.
Participation and contribution to the center
Fellows will join the international center for a maximum period of 12 months (minimum 6 months), starting in October 2025. The fellowships provide a full grant commensurate with applicants’ level of professional experience, working space in fully-equipped offices, logistical support, and access to the interdisciplinary research landscape and research labs at RWTH Aachen University. Fellows who take unpaid leave during their fellowship will receive financial compensation in the form of a stipend; alternatively, the center would pay for a teaching replacement at the fellow’s home institution.
In order to create a stimulating intellectual environment among the resident research community, regular presence at the center and participation in its weekly events are mandatory. Residency in Aachen is required and the center can support fellows in the search for accommodation.
For more information about fellowships at the KHK c:o/re, have a look at our FAQ section.
Location
RWTH Aachen University is one of the largest universities of science and technology in Europe. Located at the borders of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands (Euregio), it has close ties with STS institutes at the universities of Maastricht and Liège, and with the neighboring Jülich Research Center, a research campus of more than 5,000 researchers.
For more information on the RWTH Aachen University, visit their website.
Application Modalities
Applications are open to post-doctoral (PhD must be fully completed by the time of application) as well as senior researchers who have already distinguished themselves with outstanding work within the thematic focus of the center. The application (in English) includes the application form (link see below), a cover letter, curriculum vitae, list of publications, a writing sample (in English), and an exposé (max. 3 pages), in which the applicant presents her/his research project and its relation to c:o/re’s research program. An interdisciplinary outlook is advantageous.
Please submit your application via our online platform that you find here.
The deadline for applications is December 31, 2024.
Female researchers and scholars from the Global South are particularly encouraged to apply. For further information please visit the FAQs on our website.
New Fellow Cohort for the Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re)
The Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re) welcomes twelve new international fellows for the academic year 2024/25, this year mainly from the humanities and social sciences.
Between July and October, Dr Denisa Butnaru (Sociology), Dr Sam Ducourant (History of Science), Dr Grit Laudel (Sociology), Dr Nathalia Lavigne (Artistic Research and Urbanism), Professor Carsten Reinhardt (History of Science), Professor Elisabeth Röhrlich (History), and Professor Ingo Schulz-Schaeffer (Science and Technology Studies) began their fellowship.
They will be joined by Dr Daniela Wentz (Media Studies), Dr Ehsan Nabavi (Science and Technology Studies) and Professor Harro van Lente (Science and Technology Studies) at the end of the year, and in January 2025 by Dr Matthew Eisler (Science and Technology Studies) and Dr Hannah Star Rogers (Science and Technology Studies).
RWTH-sponsored short-term fellows this year will be Dr Ricky Wichum (Sociology) from October to December, Professor Jack Copeland (Philosophy) from October to November, Professor Carl Mitcham (Philosophy) in October, and Professor Gabriel Sandu (Philosophy) in November.
The Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re) is the first International Center for Advanced Studies at RWTH Aachen University and is funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research for a period up to twelve years. The fellowships, which cover a research stay of six to twelve months, offer scholars the opportunity to immerse themselves deeply in a research project of their own choice while also being able to discuss core issues of the Center (e.g. digitalization of science and global varieties of scientific cultures) in an interdisciplinary environment.
The substantive focus of the Center’s work for the 2024/25 academic year is on the topic of “Expanded Science and Technology Studies (STS)”. In various event formats, such as a lecture series in the winter semester, the fellows and invited guests will shed light on the current challenges for Science Studies and discuss future developments from different disciplinary perspectives.
Event Announcement: Freedom of Research – A European Summit: Science in Times of Uncertainty
Together with the Charlemagne Prize Foundation and RWTH Aachen University’s Knowledge Hub, the Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (co/re) organizes an international symposium entitled “Freedom of Research: A European Summit – Science in Times of Uncertainty”, which will take place on November 4 and 5, 2024 in Aachen.
Freedom in all its dimensions is a core European value and right. Freedom of research is vital for fostering innovation, expanding knowledge, and ensuring Europe’s global competitiveness. Today, this freedom is increasingly under pressure from political tensions and shifting uncertainties. How can we navigate these challenges? How do we create a resilient framework for future developments to come?
We invite you to Aachen for a summit focused on the crucial role of freedom in scientific, cultural, social, and political contexts. With a program that includes a late-night event, an all-day symposium, an art exhibition, and a festive evening, the summit will bring together researchers, policymakers, representatives of business, media, culture and the public to exchange ideas and develop strategies for strengthening academic freedom, fostering a resilient European community that champions democratic governance and societal benefit, and connect fresh perspectives and innovative solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.
All information about the program, the speakers and the registration form can be found on the event website: www.for-summit.eu.
Get to know our Fellows: Denisa Butnaru
Get to know our current fellows and gain an impression of their research. In a new season of short videos, we asked them to introduce themselves, talk about their work at the KHK c:o/re and the research questions that fascinate them.
In this video, Denisa Butnaru, lecturer in sociology at the University of Konstanz, introduces her research on bio-objects, how human bodies transform following the development of current technologies and how the production of bio-objects is linked to developments in healthcare and the armed forces.
Check out our media section or our YouTube channel to have a look at the other videos.
Lecture Series Winter 2024/25: Expanding Science and Technology Studies
We are happy to announce that the lecture series of the winter term 2024/25 will revolve around the topic of Expanding Science and Technology Studies.
Over the decades, Science and Technology Studies (STS) have developed many different approaches for investigating the relationship between science and society and to dig deep into the cultures of research, the ways science is conducted. E.g., scholars have investigated the local cultures and politics underlying processes of knowledge production, the biases and gender divisions informing the organization of academic institutions, or the reception of future technological visions in different publics. There is a rich knowledge. However, it seems that science studies are not well prepared for the transformation challenge. Against this background, the purpose of this lecture series is to understand first the transformation challenge and its consequences for science studies and second to explore different pathways of future science studies.
Various speakers, including the sociologist David Kaldewey (University of Bonn) and the philosopher Sabina Leonelli (Technical University of Munich), will be guests at the KHK c:o/re and shed light on “Expanding Science and Technology Studies” from different disciplinary perspectives.
Please find an overview of the dates and speakers in the program.
The lectures will take place from October 9, 2024 to January 22, 2025 every second Wednesday from 5 to 6.30 pm in presence and online.
If you would like to attend, please write a short email to events@khk.rwth-aachen.de.
Theodore von Kármán Fellowship to Darren Sharp
In September, we will welcome Darren Sharp from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, as RWTH Theodore von Kármán Fellow at the KHK c:o/re.
The application for the fellowship was jointly supported by Professor Christine Reicher (Chair of Urban Design and Institute for Urban Design and European Urbanism), Professor Reinhard Madlener (Institute of Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior) and KHK c:o/re Director Professor Stefan Böschen. The fellowship contributes to the international profiling and interdisciplinary exchange in the field of sustainability transitions research.
During his stay, Darren Sharp will work on his project “Net Zero Precincts: an interdisciplinary approach to decarbonising cities”, a four-year ARC Linkage project to develop and test a new interdisciplinary approach to help cities reach net zero. The research takes inspiration from the Net Zero Initiative through which Monash University has committed to achieving net zero emissions across its four Australian campuses by 2030. Net Zero Precincts brings together transition management with design anthropology to support the transition to net zero cities in a way that is responsive to the needs of people, politics and place.
In a public university lecture at the KHK c:o/re on September 11, 2024, from 5 to 6.30 pm, Darren Sharp will discuss the interdisciplinary approach being developed through an overview of the envisioning process that took place via a workshop series with participants from the Monash Precinct community. You are cordially invited to come along.
RWTH Kármán-Fellowships are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Ministry of Culture and Science of the German State of North Rhine Westphalia (MKW) under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder.
