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Research Proposal |
Researchers |
Research Group |
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Digital Practices in Later Age This proposal aims to theorize how older individuals enact, negotiate and resist digital devices and services – ranging from smartphones and social media platforms to newer AI-driven tools and creative agents – and how these practices are shaped by, and in turn shape, age-related stereotypes and digital ageism. Building on the theoretical strands of critical gerontology, digital sociology and STS (science and technology studies), the study examines how normative assumptions about ageing (for example, older people as technophobic, passive or ‘late adopters’) influence access, use and meaning-making in digital contexts, and how older users themselves navigate, challenge or reproduce these stereotypes. The project seeks to elucidate the complex interplay between generational imaginaries, algorithmic design, everyday lifeworlds and emerging AI modalities. By doing so, the research contributes to understanding how digital inclusion in later life is more than a matter of access or skills; it is embedded in cultural repertoires and power relations, and mediated by evolving techno-social infrastructures. |
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Data Ageism and the Datafication of Later Life: Exploring the Politics of Age, Data and Digital Inclusion The aim is to analyse how data systems and algorithmic infrastructures reproduce, reinforce or resist age-based inequalities in contemporary digital societies. Building on the framework of the Aging in Data project (https://agingindata.ca/), it investigates data ageism – the processes through which older adults are rendered visible, invisible or misrepresented within data collection, categorization, and algorithmic decision-making. The study situates data ageism as both a structural and symbolic phenomenon, where older age becomes encoded through data practices and sociotechnical imaginaries that privilege certain life stages and digital competences. Combining critical data studies, digital sociology and ageing studies, the project analyses how age operates across datasets, platforms and policy narratives, and how older adults themselves understand, experience, and negotiate being datafied. The research contributes to re-conceptualizing digital inclusion by shifting the focus from access and skills to the political and ethical dimensions of datafication. Ultimately, it aims to expand the field of ageing studies by theorizing how age and data intersect as central categories of inequality and representation in the algorithmic age. |
Email: mfernandezar@uoc.edu
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AI resistance The topic of this research is the emerging global rebellion against the oppression of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the dominant AI paradigm, with its practices, myths and discourses. It is based on the shared experiences of how AI affects society and how users struggle to negotiate their agency on algorithmic platforms, which could eventually turn into collective algorithmic agency actions and impact the development of technologies. Resistance to AI often questions the ethical implications of AI systems, the control of power and social equity. It can operate within or against the system and could include social movements, legal struggles, algorithmic audits, or reverse engineering techniques, among other strategies. |
Email: arosalescl@uoc.edu
Email: jlinareslanzman@uoc.edu
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Oppression and generative AI
AI generated 15 trillion images in its first year, a feat that took photographers 150 years to achieve. The impact on society has not yet been fully appreciated.
Particularly worrying are AI biases. These reinforce stereotypes and perpetuate discriminatory practices in terms of race, gender or age, among others. Mainly, because generative AI models fail to capture the diversity and complexity of our society and certain discourses are prioritised over others.
This research line aims to study the different forms of production, consumption, appropriation and regulation of generative AI technologies in relation to different forms of discrimination and exclusion.
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Email: arosalescl@uoc.edu
Email: jlinareslanzman@uoc.edu
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Deliberation and political parties The aim of this research line is to analyse how political parties, as important institutions of representative democracy, promote and structure political debate and deliberation within and around themselves. We will examine the contribution of political parties to the democratic system of deliberation, taking into account both its internal dimensions (i.e. intra-party deliberation through digital platforms and face-to-face conventions and assemblies) and external dimensions (social media debates) in relation to the public sphere. We are also interested in party reform and would like to promote party transformation towards effective processes and mechanisms for participation and deliberation. The methodology will be quantitative and qualitative (interviews, focus groups), including computational techniques such as machine learning and network analysis. Theoretical and normative studies are also welcome. |
Dr Rosa Borge Bravo
Email: rborge@uoc.edu
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Participatory platforms: scope, success and evaluation Participatory platforms are now widely used around the world to carry out participatory processes, especially participatory budgeting. The aim of this research line is to collect data from the platforms' collective API or by means of another big data collection process and analyse the factors that may influence the adoption and success of participatory budgeting through platforms in Catalonia, Spain and the world. Dependent variables could be the number of people registered, the number of participants, processes, or suggestions and comments from citizens by municipality and country. Explanatory variables could be characteristics of municipalities and countries. We would also like to measure citizens' satisfaction with participatory budgeting on platforms and determine how this affects their political legitimacy and trust. |
Dr Rosa Borge Bravo
Email: rborge@uoc.edu
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CNSC |
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Technopolitics and the future of democracy
This line looks at the various ways in which technologies (especially digital technologies) and politics shape each other today, and what are the alternative futures for democracy as a result. The line moves from foundational problems in political theory and philosophy of technology up to specific movements such as Black Lives Matter or projects of networked democracy such as Decidim.org, which we co-founded; more broadly, it covers processes ranging from the platformization and datafication of social movements, the public sphere, political parties and States to the construction and sociotechnical governance of data and digital infrastructures. It carries on an interdiscilpinary analysis (involving both descriptive and normative perspectives, and combining qualitative and quantitative methods, from ethnography to big data analysis) of digital politics today, including its conditions (e.g., platforms), phenomena (e.g., fake news, multitudinous identities), and regimes (e.g., authoritarianism, democracy).
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Email: acallejalo@uoc.edu
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CNSC |
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Complexity, stability and change in digital societies
We live in digital societies that have grown extremely complex, composed of interconnected, multi-layered and multi-scalar systems and assemblages. With this in mind, how are we to think of their structures and dynamics? What are the general forms of construction and conflict in these societies? What role do dimensions such as technology and politics play, and how are these dimensions themselves structured, stabilized or transformed? This research line aims to conceptually and empirically explore a systemic theory of digital societies, connecting different traditions in philosophy, sociology, political science, political economy, science and technology studies, and complexity sciences.
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Email: acallejalo@uoc.edu
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CNSC |
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Humanity and technology: rethinking the human condition in the 21st century
This research line digs into rival narratives on the relationship between humanity and technology. The first, transhumanism, has argued that we should use technology to modify our biological, cognitive and social makeup to become more than human. More recently, technological humanism has stressed the reverse need to humanize technology, introducing humanist ethics and values into it. Both views are rooted in modern humanism, which usually places the human being as the measure, if not also the foundation and ultimate goal, of reality. As a response, forms of cultural posthumanism have proliferated as a constellation of positions that criticize the humanist vision of humans and their relationship with technologies, other living beings and reality itself. This research line draws, firstly, on the history of ideas and culture, and, secondly, on a critique coming from political economy. The aim is to explore some of the conceptual nuances of these narratives as well as their social, economic, political and ecological conditions and impacts.
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Email: acallejalo@uoc.edu
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CNSC |
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Sustainable and intelligent transport Transport planning and policy is undergoing significant changes in the context of climate change, digital transformation, increasing congestion, remote working and changing consumption patterns. We are looking for candidates who are interested in analysing the changes in air, sea and land transport systems for people and goods and their socioeconomic impacts. |
Email: ealvarezp@uoc.edu
Email: psuau@uoc.edu
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URBANLOG
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Ethical leadership and gender
Aviation is facing significant challenges in terms of climate change, environmental reputation, new patterns of regional and international mobility, and technology developments. We are looking for candidates that would like to analyse the different sustainability dimensions of aviation, which include economic, environmental and social aspects.
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Dr Natalia Cugueró-Escofet
Email: ncuguero@uoc.edu
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SUMAT |
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Aviation Sustainability
Culture diversity and ethical values in organizations remain a significant challenge for both small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations. We are looking for candidates that would like to explore societal changes related to work practices, and analyse new practices in talent management and technology solutions that focus on cultures that place ethics at the centre.
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Email: psuau@uoc.edu
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SUMAT |
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Political theory and technology
This research line emphasizes theoretical questions on how contemporary processes of change such as those derived from technology and other global trends affect our understanding of classical questions addressed in the field of political theory, such as democracy, freedom and equality.
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Dr Ivan Serrano
Email: iserranoba@uoc.edu
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TURBA |
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Designing and monitoring of AI for democracy The aim of this research line is to investigate how AI systems are designed and used for political decision-making by citizens in electoral, participatory and deliberative processes, and the future potential in this area. The "democratic" functions of AI could include information gathering and processing, moderation, consensus building or voting recommendation systems. The tools to be used can be derived from generative AI or be chatbots, visualization elements, etc. |
Dr Rosa Borge Bravo
Email: rborge@uoc.edu
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CNSC |
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Analysing conversations in the comments section of online newspapers and news aggregators The aim of this research line is to analyse interaction in the comments section of online newspapers and news aggregators. The analysis will combine network analysis, community detection in signed networks, and textual analysis using LLM-inspired NLP methods. The networks will be established by user interaction through either votes (positive/negative) or replies to comments. The dataset to be analysed has been used in a related study by Fraxanet et al. [1], and an introduction to some of the related research questions can be found in Aragón et al. [2]. Particular focus will be given to political debates around controversial issues such as climate change and vaccination. |
Email: akaltenbrunner@uoc.edu
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AID4So |
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Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on access to political information The aim of this research line is to analyse the impact of artificial intelligence models, such as recommender systems and large language models, on access to political information, particularly during election campaigns. |
Email: rborge@uoc.edu
Email: akaltenbrunner@uoc.edu
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Critical data and artificial intelligence (AI) studies Theoretical and empirical research on:
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Email: ssuarezgon@uoc.edu
Email: mfernandezar@uoc.edu
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CNSC |
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Durability of the effects of epidemics, 19th – 20th centuries Spain The aim is to shed light on the intersection between epidemics, socio-economic inequality and demographic behaviours, using innovative analytical methodologies based on artificial intelligence. |
Email: jpujadasmo@uoc.edu
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IdentiCat |
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Social economy, food sharing, and digitalization This research line explores food systems, especially those involving agroecology, and focuses on collective collaboration within the social or social and solidarity economy. It includes analysis of digitally based innovations and collaborative sharing dynamics related to food sovereignty, considering both ecosystems of practice and public policy perspectives. |
Email: ricardespelt@uoc.edu
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Contemporary ruralities and global transitions This research line seeks to address questions regarding how contemporary global-local processes affect the configuration and functionality of rural spaces and communities today. We welcome projects aiming to contribute with knowledge and methodological advancements in the understanding of contemporary ruralities on an international scale. |
Email: smoralespe@uoc.edu
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Eco-social imaginaries and social-material futures in the making This line of research explores how eco-social futures take shape both materially, in infrastructures, practices and everyday routines, and as circulating imaginaries in policy, media and culture. We welcome PhD proposals that trace latent futures already in the making and relate them with eco-social imaginaries to identify convergences, tensions and translations across scales and time horizons. Preferred approaches include infrastructural ethnography, analysis of policies, discourse and visual analysis, and mixed digital-qualitative methods, as well as ethnographies. Possible domains include energy transition and housing, water and coastal adaptation, mobility and logistics, agroecology and circularity, data and AI infrastructures, and, above all, care. |
Email: ncantom@uoc.edu
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GLOBALS |