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Alex Gates

@complexgates

Assistant Professor of Data Science @UVA. Network Science, human behavior and the emergent constraints of the organizations and ecosystems we build.

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Latest posts by Alex Gates @complexgates

Job Opening: Data Scientist โ€“ Grant Witness Grant Witness seeks a data scientist for a full-time position on our team tracking changes to U.S. federal grantmaking. We are also hiring for part-time/contract positions. Join us!

Grant Witness is hiring! We're seeking a full-time data scientist to join our team building data resources to support journalism, litigation, and activism protecting science, public health, and the rule of law. grant-witness.us/apply.html #rstats

06.03.2026 21:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 58 ๐Ÿ” 43 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
poster advertising the event โ€” Drawing Lines: Data & Justice in the Criminal Legal System, by Professor Brennan Klein. March 5, 2026

poster advertising the event โ€” Drawing Lines: Data & Justice in the Criminal Legal System, by Professor Brennan Klein. March 5, 2026

Thursday, March 5th! Iโ€™m giving a @lecturesontap.bsky.social about our work on drug-free zone laws & data justice โ€” with incredible collaborators at @campaignzero.bsky.social @nunetsi.bsky.social @hutchinscenter.bsky.social

Currently sold out, but thereโ€™s sometimes day-of tickets, so check back!

03.03.2026 16:51 ๐Ÿ‘ 11 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Now available! FILM DIPLOMACY: A MEDIA HISTORY OF US-TURKEY RELATIONS, by AyลŸehan Jรผlide Etem. Use the coupon code CUP20 and save 20% bit.ly/3PaRGj2 @julideetem.bsky.social @columbiaup.bsky.social

01.03.2026 15:38 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Join the Hackathon! โ€“ A Blue Start at Netsci 2026

๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ NetSci Hackathon PSA!!!

Are you at NetSci this year? Wanna come a day early and hack on a cool new dataset? Join our hackathon which will take place on May 31.

We have limited space, so please indicate your interest through our application form by Mar 13: www.philchodrow.prof/higher-order...

23.02.2026 19:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 5 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Graphs are maximally expressive for higher-order interactions We demonstrate that graph-based models are fully capable of representing higher-order interactions, and have a long history of being used for precisely this purpose. This stands in contrast to a commo...

New on the arxiv:

โ€œGraphs are maximally expressive for higher-order interactionsโ€

arxiv.org/abs/2602.16937

We clarify central misconceptions in the recent literature on "higher-order networks".

w/ @piratepeel.bsky.social , @manlius.bsky.social, and @thilogross.bsky.social

Explainer ๐Ÿงต: 1/N

20.02.2026 08:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 94 ๐Ÿ” 36 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6 ๐Ÿ“Œ 11
Richard Betzel Network Data Research Seminar from 1 to 2 PM in Room 205 of the School of Data Science on Feb 20, 2026.

Richard Betzel Network Data Research Seminar from 1 to 2 PM in Room 205 of the School of Data Science on Feb 20, 2026.

The Network Data Research Seminar returns with guest speaker Richard Betzel from the University of Minnesota. Join us for a talk on multi scale network neuroscience at the UVA School of Data Science on Feb. 20 from 1-2 PM. Read more: https://bit.ly/4qaYdHB

19.02.2026 21:53 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The bicycle is an underrated invention

Bikes allow us terrestrial folk to be more like fish in terms of efficiency when travelling, and beat pretty much every organism, as well as all powered vehicles.

buff.ly/vcH5TLu

12.02.2026 17:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 62 ๐Ÿ” 20 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 7
Book cover for Film Diplomacy: A Media History of Turkeyโ€“US Relations by AyลŸehan Jรผlide Etem. The top half features bold red and white title text on a dark blue background. Below, a black-and-white archival photograph shows several men operating film cameras and tripods on a hillside overlooking a dense cityscape, suggesting documentary or state media production. The authorโ€™s name appears at the bottom on a blue band.

Book cover for Film Diplomacy: A Media History of Turkeyโ€“US Relations by AyลŸehan Jรผlide Etem. The top half features bold red and white title text on a dark blue background. Below, a black-and-white archival photograph shows several men operating film cameras and tripods on a hillside overlooking a dense cityscape, suggesting documentary or state media production. The authorโ€™s name appears at the bottom on a blue band.

Very excited to announce my first book ๐Ÿช„ Film Diplomacy ๐Ÿ“ฝ๏ธ is forthcoming with @columbiaup.bsky.social.

10.02.2026 16:08 ๐Ÿ‘ 25 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Join the CSSI Team

Postdoc openings at Kellogg/Northwestern!

Review begins Feb 15 (rolling until filled).

Apply / details: www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-re...

23.01.2026 17:07 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Research Associate in Psychology in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America | Research at University of Virginia Apply for Research Associate in Psychology job with University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America. Research at University of Virginia

Hello all! Iโ€™m recruiting a postdoc to work with my lab and I on methods for analyzing intensive longitudinal timeseries of psychological phenomena, with particular focus on measurement and optimization of interventions! Start would be August 2026

15.01.2026 15:26 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Open call for the rOpenSci Champions Program 2026! You can now apply to participate in the 2026 Champions Program. We are looking for people to participate in mentoring roles and to become Champions.

๐Ÿš€ We're pleased to open the call for Champions and Mentors for the rOpenSci Champions Program 2026-2027, a 12-month journey in open science, research software, and community building.

๐ŸŒŽ This year's cohort will be run in Spanish and focused on Latin America

More info at ropensci.org/blog/2026/01...

12.01.2026 18:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 9 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Sorry we didnโ€™t get to talk much from the other side of the table. But happy to welcome you to cville!

11.01.2026 02:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Another joint keynote at NetSci 2026 is official! ๐—”๐—น๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜-๐—Ÿ๐—ฎฬ๐˜€๐˜‡๐—น๐—ผฬ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ฎฬ๐˜€๐—ถ and ๐—ฅ๐—ฒฬ๐—ธ๐—ฎ ๐—”๐—น๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ reunite on stage for a one-of-a-kind talk. Their discovery of scale-free networks and the Barabรกsiโ€“Albert model reshaped network science. We canโ€™t wait to welcome you!
@barabasi.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/4t5p46yr

09.01.2026 14:18 ๐Ÿ‘ 11 ๐Ÿ” 8 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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Business Development Contractor โ€” Data Science Education (UVA NOVA) โ€” School of Data Science UVA School of Data Science seeks a NOVA-based business development leader to grow executive and non-degree programs in AI, health, and cybersecurity.

We're hiring a Business Development Contractor to expand SDSโ€™s executive and non-degree education footprint in Northern Virginia. Cool job. Great organization (biased as I am). Unlimited bonus comp ๐Ÿค‘ datascience.virginia.edu/pages/busine...

08.01.2026 22:27 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Weathering budget cuts: Lessons from NASA The current uncertainty and cuts to science funding affect universities, research facilities, and laboratories across the United States, but this situation is not unprecedented. Under pressure to fund...

My first editorial in @science.org was published today: what to do (and, importantly, what NOT to do) when your grants are suddenly cut or research funding is uncertain. Please read and share!

#AcademicSky #Science #Astronomy

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

08.01.2026 23:28 ๐Ÿ‘ 79 ๐Ÿ” 43 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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A lot of findings in this new paper, but one is the inevitable doom of traditional peer review:
1) AI creates a flood of papers, both good & bad
2) Paper complexity, a key screen and signal of quality for human work, is actually a signal of low quality for AI
There's no plan for what comes next.

05.01.2026 21:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 78 ๐Ÿ” 18 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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Thrilled to announce the Handbook of Computational Social Science is officially out! 956 pages, 118 authors, and truly global, interdisciplinary perspectives. Deep thanks to the contributors and anonymous reviewers who shaped this over 4 years. Buy your copy now!
@elgarpublishing.bsky.social

19.12.2025 16:37 ๐Ÿ‘ 58 ๐Ÿ” 24 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 7

A wonderful opportunity to come join the @uvadatascience.bsky.social community!!

10.12.2025 21:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Representation in science and trust in scientists in the USA - Nature Human Behaviour Druckman et al. document gaps in trust in scientists in the USA. People from groups less represented among scientists (for example, women and those with lower economic status) are less trusting. Incre...

Paper out today in @nathumbehav.nature.com:

1) those groups (women, African Americans, lower SES, rural) that are underrepresented in science have been less trusting of science.

2) If you improve representation in science, you improve trust among those groups.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

09.12.2025 04:21 ๐Ÿ‘ 138 ๐Ÿ” 61 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

We are looking for a PhD student to work with us on network science methods for biomedicine. The student can be enrolled in any graduate program. #NetworkMedicine #ComplexSystems.

07.12.2025 21:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Research Intern - Computational Social Science | Microsoft Careers Research Interns put inquiry and theory into practice. Alongside fellow doctoral candidates and some of the world's best researchers, Research Interns learn, collaborate, and network for life. Researc...

Want to be an intern at Microsoft Research in the Computational Social Science group in NYC (Jake Hofman, David Rothschild, Dan Goldstein)

Follow this link and do your thing! Deadline approaching soonish!

apply.careers.microsoft.com/careers/job/...

05.12.2025 23:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 48 ๐Ÿ” 42 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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Assistant Professor (f/m/d) Assistant Professor (f/m/d)

We are hiring!
The Department of Network and Data Science of Central European University (Vienna) has an open position for an Assistant Professor in network science and computational social science.

05.12.2025 15:12 ๐Ÿ‘ 12 ๐Ÿ” 18 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Thinking just about editors and desk rejection, is it better to submit a paper before the winter holidays or wait until the new year?

Has anyone analyzed seasonal/time-of-day rejection rates?

05.12.2025 21:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The orbital argumentation of AI writing Introduction

Blog post: "The orbital argumentation of AI writing"

Have you ever wondered why AI writing seems to orbit around the point but not make the point? I wrote it about. I hope you'll read! And enjoy!

meresophistry.substack.com/p/seeking-hu...

02.12.2025 14:19 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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IC2S2 2026 registration is open!
Explore the 2026 conference here โžก๏ธ ic2s2-2026.org

โœ”๏ธ Submissions open December 15th
โœ”๏ธ Keynotes will be announced between now and February
โœ”๏ธ Full program of selected talks and tutorials will be available in late April

01.12.2025 21:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 26 ๐Ÿ” 19 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Networks are #complex and their dynamics often look chaotic. But we can reconstruct latent spaces where their behavior becomes strikingly regular, revealing functional organization across biology, society and technology.

How? ๐Ÿ‘‰ rdcu.be/eSsqn ๐Ÿงช๐Ÿง ๐Ÿฆ ๐Ÿงฌ๐ŸŒ

Kudos to Andrea, @dzanc.bsky.social & Sebastiano!

02.12.2025 10:18 ๐Ÿ‘ 28 ๐Ÿ” 15 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Doctoral Researcher, Philosophy of science: AI in scientific problem solving Doctoral Researcher, Philosophy of science: AI in scientific problem solving

A funded PhD position in philosophy of science: AI in scientific problem solving. At @helsinki.fi @tint-philosophy.bsky.social #philsci jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

28.11.2025 14:26 ๐Ÿ‘ 22 ๐Ÿ” 18 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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โœจ Excited to announce ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด-๐—ฌ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—น (๐—ฌ๐—ฌ) ๐—”๐—ต๐—ป as a NetSci 2026 Plenary Speaker! A leading network and data scientist, YY explores how complex systems shape behavior, cognition, and discovery. Stay tuned for more speaker updates as we build toward an inspiring NetSci 2026! โœจ
www.netsci2026.com/speakers

26.11.2025 17:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 26 ๐Ÿ” 10 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
LinkedIn This link will take you to a page thatโ€™s not on LinkedIn

At OASIS Lab, #UCLA, we are accepting applications for a PhD student who is passionate about using computational modeling, big data, and HCI to advance digital safety, responsible AI, and the study of online information ecosystems.

tinyurl.com/phdopenningu...

#PhD #AIforGood #OnlineSafety

24.11.2025 20:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
How to Apply to the Graduate Program

One week left to apply to the UVA Biology PhD program! If you or someone you know are interested in contagion from a complex systems perspective, please reach out! I'm looking for a grad student! bio.as.virginia.edu/how-apply-gr...

25.11.2025 16:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 11 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0