Ethics in Network Science Research & Practice

Description

Network science studies systems of interconnected entities whose collective behavior often emerges in complex, adaptive, and unpredictable ways. As the field increasingly engages with data-rich, socially embedded, and policy-relevant domains, it raises distinctive ethical questions that do not always fit neatly within traditional frameworks. Issues such as distributed responsibility, emergent harm, data sensitivity, and the societal impacts of modeling and intervention require careful reflection within the research community.

This half-day satellite aims to create space for the Network Science community to engage in an open dialogue about the ethical dimensions of research, teaching, and practice. Through keynote talks, interactive discussions, and community contributions, participants will share experiences, identify challenges, and explore practical approaches to conducting responsible and socially informed network science.

Time/Place: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 2:30-6:00 PM · Boston, MA · (room TBD)
Format: Keynote + Panel + Interactive Breakout Discussions + Lightning Talks

Call for Submissions

Flash Talks

Deadline: May 5th, 2026

We invite submissions for short flash talks (5 minutes) on ethical questions, challenges, and experiences related to network science research, teaching, and practice. The goal of this session is to create space for community members to share perspectives on the ethical dimensions of their work, broadly construed. Flash talks may present work in progress, case studies, teaching experiences, methodological reflections, or open questions related to responsible research in network science. To submit, please provide a title and short abstract via the form below. Talks will be selected by the organizers to ensure a diverse range of topics and perspectives.

[Submit Here]

For questions, please email the organizers.

Schedule

Time	Session
2:30–2:40	Welcome & Introduction
2:40–3:15	Keynote - Dr. John Basl
3:15-3:50	Keynote - Dr. Juniper Lovato
3:50–4:00	Interactive Activity #1
4:00–4:30	Coffee Break
4:30–4:45	Lightning talks
4:45–5:15	Interactive Activity #2
5:15–6:00	Panel Discussion
6:00–6:15	Closing Remarks

Speakers

Keynote & Panelist: Dr. John Basl

Northeastern University

John Basl is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Northeastern University, the College of Social Sciences and Humanities Dean's Leadership Fellow for AI & Data Ethics, and an Associate Director of the Northeastern Ethics Institute where he leads AI & Data Ethics Initiatives. He works in and teaches AI ethics and moral philosophy. He is ethics co-lead of the National Internet Observatory and co-lead of the AI + Data Ethics Summer Graduate Training Program (AIDE Summer).

Keynote & Panelist: Dr. Juniper Lovato

University of Vermont

Juniper Lovato is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Vermont and a member of the Vermont Complex Systems Institute, where she leads the Computational Ethics Lab. She is also an External Faculty at the Complexity Science Hub in Vienna. Her research spans the ethics and governance of data, AI, and technology, with a focus on fairness, accountability, transparency, and the science of stories. Drawing on methods from computational social science, natural language processing, network science, and complex systems, she studies how sociotechnical systems, composed of humans and technologies, mutually shape one another, influencing human values, institutions, and narratives.