@olamichalec
The absolute pinnacle of British engineering • unprofessional account of a Bristol Uni STSish researcher interested in digital energy infrastructure, cyber security expertise, and hyped up technologies • cover by https://disect.me/
I’m available to present this as a virtual guest seminar in your organisation over April. Let me know if you’re interested :)
link to the paper journals.sagepub.com/home/STH?_gl...
However, I also show that thanks for the shared goal of improved cyber security, these professionals can be brought together (at least to some extent). I analyse this relationship on the examples of evolving best practices around penetration testing, security test beds and root cause analysis.
In many respects, these groups are guided by completely different values and cultures, and hence clash, indeed questioning what counts as ‘legacy infrastructure’ or ‘the next big thing’.
New article out! 😍
“Testing and Errors: Aligning Cybersecurity Expertise in Contemporary UK Energy Infrastructures” is available to read in Science, Technology and Human Values!.
I explore tensions between the two groups who are at the forefront of energy digitalisation: maintainers and innovators.
I'm giving a hybrid seminar on ‘Cyber security as a priority in the Industrial Strategy: Understanding security expertise cultures for maintenance and innovation' on 17th Feb 1pm UK time. Feel free to drop me a message if you'd like a link to the cal!
I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
Check out the call for applications for the 2026 STHV STS School in Seoul!! Wish this existed when I was a graduate student/early career researcher!! #STS
www.sthvschool.org
Absolute must read on the AI bailout-in-progress: apparently it's not enough that lifetimes of human ingenuity and creativity have been stolen and enclosed to create generative AI and balloon billionaire wealth - much more public looting is in store...
We're hiring!👀👀
The Society for Social Studies of Science is hiring a Website Coordinator (10h per week / 1 year contract)
More here: 4sonline.org/news_manager...
Deadline: Nov 16, 2025
Interviewing: Nov 18–20, 2025
Appoint: from Dec 1, 2025 onwards.
Open Science Workshop - detecting errors and misconduct in science
Dates: 20-22 October
Location: Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Registration link: tinyurl.com/3xkd8twf
ONLY PHYSICAL ATTENDENCE POSSIBLE! NO ONLINE POSSIBILITIES.
CfP: “The Ecological Bootprint: Apprehending the Military-Environmental Nexus” (conference)
📆17–19 March 2026
✍️Submission Deadline: 15 November 2025
This #conference seeks to critically examine the entanglements between the #military and the #environment.
Today’s digital ID announcement yet another example of how X being the main platform for political discourse will inevitably throw the MSM’s coverage off course, because online right opinion is fevered/way off the beat with the public.
Guess who need digital/reliable ID most? Those in poverty.
🚨New job: Journals Coordinator.
This role supports the day-to-day activities involved in publishing our journals and is the main publisher contact for many journals on the list.
#PublishingJobs #AcademicPublishing
🌟Deadline: 5 October 2025:
This is disastrous, quite frankly.
We’re hiring @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk for a postdoc in geopolitics of AI www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Will Oxford disclose how much it paid (or did not pay) for this?
Surely a sweetheart deal (has research money thrown in!) so OpenAI can plaster Oxford over its marketing and raid other unis’ fees, library budgets to throw into the sector’s massive inference funding chasm.
👀 I'm hiring two roles for a new initiative launching soon (watch this space!) 👀
A Research Assistant and a Writer/Editor. Both part-time, freelance. c.5-10 days by end December, maybe more and ramping up over time (with no obligation). Both £350 pd. Especially keen to hear from good writers! 1/2
One week left to apply 📅
We’re hiring for a Research Officer and a Lead Researcher.
Are you passionate about conducting qualitative research on poverty and financial hardship? Do you have a strong commitment to ethical and inclusive research?
Apply here: www.jrf.org.uk/careers.
Hype Studies party in the Sants neighbourhood of Barcelona, a small club lit with red light and lots of hypers having after hours getting down!
@hypestudies.bsky.social is/was a conference with a difference. Non-hierarchical, welcoming and stimulating. After party at a cool little club, and many other (serious) memories. 🕺🏾 👨🏾💻 #FirstAndFifteenthOnTheRoad #uxmichaelco
Pleased to share that after a long, at-times difficult review process, 'Attuning to Uncertainty: Enacting Health in Platformised Taxicab Driving' w/ @tiagoemoreira.bsky.social is out now!
Available open-access here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Against locking themselves into long term contracts without proven (?) effectiveness of the products for whatever use cases they imagine
Since we're unlikely to be in the same room as billionaires,I'd hope we'd be able to at least engage directly with journalists so they get to ask better questions during their interviews. Other than that, continuing to point out the scale of costs Vs revenue and caution governments and institutions
A few highlights from @hypestudies.bsky.social conference day 2! Thanks to all involved for another great day 🙏
So many insights springing out of our Hype Studies conference in Barcelona. One, from investigative journalist Christo Buschek: the news outfits currently winning are those that resisted the previous wave of online hype @hypestudies.bsky.social. Christo was one of the team behind this
@hypestudies.bsky.social hitting the town!
I wish I was here;
Suuuuuper HYPED!
Exploring metaphors of AI: Visualisations, narratives and perception Hype Studies Conference (Barcelona) and ONLINE 10th September 2025 at 2pm-3pm CEST (UTC +2) Online registration at hypestudies.org Join an exploration of insightful research and art as explorations on how AI hype narratives derive power from metaphors. Featuring presentations, discussion and Q&A including: Myra Cheng - Measuring and understanding public perceptions of AI through crowdsourced metaphors Leo Lau - New visual metaphors of AI Tania Duarte - Better Images of AI (moderator) Anuj Gupta and Yasser Atef - ChatGPT metaphors for developing critical AI literacies Rainer Rehak - AI narrative breakdowns of power and promise
Please join some amazing researchers for a discussion of their research into the roles metaphors play in shaping perceptions:
Exploring metaphors of AI: visualisations, narratives, and perceptions
Online @hypestudies.bsky.social
10th Sept 2025 at 2pm-3pm CEST
hypestudies.org/conference/c...
and funders to create decent working conditions and sustainable career pathways.
If you've worked on a 'past hype', I'd love to hear your perspective!
yes, we're going to be dragging the skeleton of the WEF Nexus out of the closet...but don't worry, there are lessons here for current and future hypes!
The core question is how do early career researchers deal with buzzy areas in science and what are the responsibilities of PIs, supervisors...