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Second call for Applications - AIM-CC 2026
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YOUNG SCHOLAR CONFERENCE & RESEARCH SCHOOL
AI & Methods in Computational Communication (AIM-CC 2026)
Astana, Kazakhstan | August 8–16, 2026
Deadline for applications: May 31, 2026

The Kazakhstan Sociology Lab in partnership with the School of Sciences and Humanities at Nazarbayev University and with support of International Communication Association (ICA) invites applications for the Young Scholar Conference & Research School AI & Methods in Computational Communication (AIM-CC 2026).

Computational social science is undergoing a profound transformation driven by artificial intelligence. Methods that once relied on limited automation and classical analytical approaches are now being reshaped by large language models, embedding-based techniques, generative agents, and AI-assisted experimental designs. These developments open new analytical possibilities while simultaneously raising important methodological and epistemological questions.

AIM-CC 2026 is designed to address these transformations directly. The Conference & School provides structured methodological training in major areas of Computational Social Science and Computational Communication Research, while systematically integrating AI-related developments into each course.

The program is designed for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, advanced Master’s students, and early-career scholars working in Computational Communication Research, Computational Social Science, digital sociology, political communication, network science, AI & Society, and related fields. Alongside intensive methodological training, participants will have a chance to present their research in a poster session and receive feedback from instructors and mentors, with the opportunity to further refine and present updated versions of their work.


Instructors

Taha Yasseri – Director, TCD–TU Dublin Joint Centre for Sociology of Humans and Machines (SOHAM), Full Professor and Chair of Technology and Society, Trinity College Dublin & Technological University Dublin

Ivan Smirnov – research consultant for AI in Research and Researcher Training, University of Technology Sydney; External Faculty Member, Complexity Science Hub Vienna

Olessia Koltsova – Director, Laboratory for Social and Cognitive Informatics, Professor, Department of Sociology, HSE University

Basak Taraktas - Assistant Professor of Political Science at Bogazici University

Miriam Schirmer – Postdoctoral researcher, LINK Lab, Northwestern University


Courses and workshops:
Instrument and Object: Navigating the AI Revolution in Computational Social Sciences
Sociology of Humans and Machines: Using Online Experiments in Computational Social Sciences
Political and Social Network Analysis: Formation, Resilience, and Inference
LLM for computational social science research
Workshop: Scaling Content Analysis: Generative AI, Algorithmic Constraints, and Human Judgement
Workshop: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Misinformation - Current Trends, Detection, and Mitigation
Workshop: Applied usage of AI-agents for Computational Social Sciences


Contact
More details on the eligibility criteria, application process and travel information are available on the AIM-CC 2026 website. For inquiries, please contact: aim_cc26@kazsoclab.kz