ESDiT Research Programme

📢 Call for Submissions – Yaoundé Seminar 2026 | Cameroon The ESDiT Research Programme, in collaboration with the Yaoundé Ethics Lab and the PPEL in the Global South Initiative, is pleased to invite PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scholars to apply for an international workshop hosted at the Catholic University of Central Africa (Cameroon), taking place 13–17 July 2026. ⏳ Extended deadline for submissions: 10 May 2026 This seminar brings together emerging scholars to critically examine the demands of justice and the prospects of democracy in a pluralist world, in the context of rising global tensions. While questions of justice and democratic legitimacy remain enduring, they take on renewed urgency amid colonial legacies, increasing authoritarianism, and persistent global inequalities. The workshop places particular emphasis on perspectives that have historically been underrepresented in dominant philosophical frameworks. It seeks to foster intercultural dialogue, with special attention to African philosophy and broader Global South approaches, and to explore how these perspectives can reshape contemporary debates on justice and democracy. ✍️ Submission guidelines Applicants are invited to submit: -An abstract (300–500 words) -A short biographical note 📧 Submissions and queries should be sent to: Kritika Maheshwari - k.maheshwari@tudelft.nl Thierry Ngosso - thierry.ngosso@unisg.ch 🕐 Decisions will be communicated on a rolling basis. The Yaoundé Seminar will run in parallel with the ISBEE World Congress. Participants in the seminar will have the opportunity to attend both events. 👉 If you are a PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, or early-career scholar working on questions of justice, democracy, ethics, or Global South perspectives, we strongly encourage you to apply and share this opportunity within your networks. ➡️ For detailed information: https://lnkd.in/djbyiBCb #CallForPapers #PhDlife #Postdoc #GlobalSouth #AfricanPhilosophy #Ethics #Democracy #AcademicOpportunities #ESDiT

📢 We’re pleased to share that ESDiT has been featured on the Beste ID platform. (Disclaimer: the full article is in Dutch) In this insightful piece, ESDiT Management Board member, research fellow, Conceptual Disruption advisor, and Synthesis workshop coordinator, Prof. dr. ir. Ibo van de Poel (Delft University of Technology), explains how ESDiT Research Programme examines emerging technologies not only in terms of risks, but as forces that fundamentally reshape how we think and act. From AI to self-driving systems, technologies are increasingly socially and conceptually disruptive, challenging established norms, practices, and even core concepts like responsibility, trust, and authorship. At ESDiT, this raises urgent questions: • When do our existing concepts no longer suffice? • How should they evolve, and who gets to decide? • What does responsible innovation look like in times of disruption? 🧠 As highlighted in the article, we are already facing questions such as: - Can AI be considered an “author”? - Can autonomous systems be “responsible”? - And how should societies respond? 👉 Read the full article (in Dutch): https://lnkd.in/ezJd3wG8 #ESDiT #TechEthics #ConceptualDisruption #PhilosophyOfTechnology #ResponsibleInnovation #AIethics #DigitalSociety

📢 Call for Contributions | ESDiT & 4TU Ethics Conference What do philosophy and ethics of technology mean in turbulent times? From Artificial Intelligence to synthetic biology and quantum technologies, emerging innovations are reshaping our societies, deeply intertwined with global challenges such as climate change, authoritarianism, and geopolitical tensions. In response, the ESDiT Research Programme and 4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology invite you to contribute to the upcoming biannual conference: Technology Ethics in Turbulent Times. We welcome scholars and practitioners working on: ➡️ conceptual and methodological questions ➡️ ethics of (disruptive) technologies ➡️ sustainable and responsible innovation ➡️ design, practice, and societal implications Whether your work is theoretical, empirical, or praxis-oriented, we encourage you to submit and join the conversation. 🔹 Thematic conference tracks include: -Conceptual Disruption -Environmental Philosophy & Technology -Health, Well-being & Emotions -Technology & Solidarity -Intercultural & Hybrid Ethics -Ethics at Scale -Transdisciplinarity (Submissions beyond these themes are also welcome.) 📩 Submit an abstract for an individual paper, panel, or session Or join us as a participant 👉 Be part of shaping how we understand and guide technology today: https://lnkd.in/e88Vqan7 📢 Know someone working in this field? Share this call and help us bring more voices into the conversation. #CallForPapers #TechEthics #PhilosophyOfTechnology #AIethics #ResponsibleInnovation #ESDiT #4TUEthics #AcademicConference #DigitalEthics

👉 ESDiT Research Programme Impact Event Recap: As part of Doing Good in the Age of Big Tech and Declining Democracy, our panel on “Democratic Pathways Beyond Big Tech” brought together diverse perspectives on how technology can better serve the public good. The conversation quickly moved from ideas to lived realities. What stayed with us most after the panel was a shared feeling: This is no longer a future problem. It’s already here. Thank you to everyone who joined us in The Hague, and to our panelists • Dr. Mariëtte van Huijstee – Coordinator at Rathenau Instituut • Olivia Vereha – Co-founder of Commit Global • Dr. Hamilcar Knops – Senior advisor at AWTI - Advisory council for science, technology and innovation • Prof. Dr. Sabine Roeser – Professor of Ethics at Delft University of Technology and ESDiT Research Programme fellow and our moderator and ESDiT Research Programme manager Dr. Radhika Mittal for a conversation that was as grounded as it was urgent. What unfolded was not just a discussion about technology, but about dependence, power, and responsibility. We heard how Big Tech grows through systems that reinforce themselves until institutions, governments, and civil society are no longer simply users, but participants in infrastructures they cannot easily leave. What starts as convenience becomes reliance. What feels efficient becomes structural. And yet, the conversation did not stop at critique. It turned carefully, but decisively, toward action. What would it take to move toward digital autonomy? Not as an abstract ideal, but as something lived, built, and negotiated. The answers were not simple. And that, perhaps, was the most important takeaway. Because every path forward comes with tensions: ▶️ autonomy vs. openness ▶️ innovation vs. regulation ▶️ independence vs. new forms of concentration Even the solutions—open-source, public infrastructure, stronger policy—raise new questions. And maybe that’s where impact begins. Not in having the answers but in refusing to look away from the complexity. #ESDiTImpact #BigTech #DigitalAutonomy #TechPolicy #Democracy #ResponsibleInnovation #ESDiT #PublicTech #ImpactEvent

👉 ESDiT Research Programme Impact Event Recap: What Does It Mean to “Do Good” Today? Last Friday in The Hague, at the Delft University of Technology campus, we opened this question together with urgency, curiosity, and a room full of engaged minds. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped shape this conversation. Our keynote speakers set the tone for what followed and stayed with us for a vivid Q&A, where instrumental concerns, tensions, and real-world implications came sharply into focus. 🧠 Prof. Dr. Alice Crary challenged us to look critically at the ideas driving today’s AI landscape, questioning frameworks like Effective Altruism and longtermism, and asking what gets overlooked when we focus too much on distant technological futures. As a way forward, she urged us to rethink where we locate ethical authority: questioning the influence of private wealth on public discourse, and calling for a shift away from abstract future scenarios toward the realities of present-day injustice. ⚖️ Prof. Dr. Ingrid Robeyns brought us back to the present,  grounded the discussion in the stark realities of wealth concentration and global inequality, reminding us, through striking figures, just how vast the gap is between those who have and those who don’t. She challenged us to confront the uncomfortable tension at the heart of philanthropy: that it can aim to do good, while being rooted in systems that accumulate and protect extreme wealth. Together, they left us with a lingering thought: Can we really talk about “doing good” without questioning the systems that define it? We’re grateful for the energy, openness, and critical spirit in the room. More reflections from the fascinating panel discussion that followed coming soon. #AIethics #Philosophy #BigTech #Philanthropy #Democracy #ResponsibleInnovation #ESDiT #EffectiveAltruism #Longtermism #Limitarianism #ESDiT #ESDiTImpact #ImpactEvent

Yesterday in The Hague, a vibrant and thought-provoking conversation unfolded. Here’s a first glimpse of what you brought into the room. During Doing Good in the Age of Big Tech and Declining Democracy, we invited participants to move beyond critique and engage with a shared challenge: 🌍 In a tech-fueled world, which values would you like to see integrated in our collective future? "Anti-militarism and pacifism" "Responsibility" "We need a critique that doesn't reduce itself to opposition and negation but instead creates positive conditions / provides alternatives" "Epistemic humility & Moral visibility" "Slow down / Savour Pause Buttons" 💬 The conversation is still open. What would you add? 🔜 We’ll be sharing more reflections from the event very soon. We’re grateful to everyone who helped shape this conversation through their energy and engagement! #ESDiT #BigTech #Democracy #TechForGood #PublicDebate #ImpactEvent #Impact #SocietalImpact #Ethics #AppliedEthis #ResponsibleTech #TechPolicy #Philanthropy #PublicValues #PolicyMaking #DigitalSociety #BigAI #AGI #TUDelft #UtrechtUniversity #UniversityofTwente #EventsinTheHague University of Twente Delft University of Technology

A big thank you to everyone who has already registered on the ESDiT Research Programme impact event Doing Good in the Age of Big Tech and Declining Democracy. We’re excited to see such strong interest in this timely conversation. This Friday afternoon in The Hague brings together a diverse group of speakers from philosophy, policy, and practice to reflect not only on the power of Big Tech, but also on what alternatives could and should look like. ✨ Last spots available / registrations close this afternoon: https://lnkd.in/ePeikJ-N If this resonates, feel free to share it with colleagues or others who might be interested. 🗓️ 17 April 📍 TU Delft Campus, Spui, The Hague 🕐 13:00–17:00

📢 This Friday, the ESDiT Research Programme invites you to: Doing Good in the Age of Big Tech and Declining Democracy Join us in The Hague for an afternoon of critical reflection and forward-looking dialogue. The event begins at 13:00 with welcome remarks by ESDiT Research Programme and 4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology fellow Dr. Janna van Grunsven setting the stage for a day of critical reflection and exchange. 💡 Our keynote speakers bring two powerful and complementary perspectives: • Prof. Alice Crary will challenge dominant narratives around Big AI in her talk “How philosophers are giving ideological cover to big AI—and what to do about it.” • Prof. Dr. Ingrid Robeyns, in “In this world, what should philanthropists do?”, takes a critical look at effective altruism and the role of philanthropy in an unequal world. 🔎 At the heart of the programme: a dynamic panel discussion (14:30–15:30): Democratic Pathways Beyond Big Tech: Redirecting the Role of Technology for Public Good Moderated by ESDiT Research Programme manager Dr. Radhika Mittal, this session brings together experts from academia, policy, and practice to move beyond critique and focus on concrete alternatives and actionable pathways. You’ll hear from: • Prof. Dr. Behnam Taebi (Delft University of Technology) on how Big Tech aligns with powerful institutions, the systemic harms this creates, and what it means for public welfare. • Dr. Mariëtte van Huijstee (Rathenau Instituut) on how we arrived at today’s concentration of power, and what digital autonomy could look like in response. • Olivia Vereha (Commit Global) on how digital infrastructures are built and scaled, and what their real-world impact is on communities. • Dr. Hamilcar Knops (AWTI - Advisory council for science, technology and innovation) on the challenges of regulating disruptive technologies while safeguarding innovation and public values. • Prof. Dr. Sabine Roeser (Delft University of Technology) on the ethical and geopolitical dimensions of technological systems, and the values that should guide their development. We’ll wrap up with a co-creation session and drinks, turning ideas into shared possibilities. Join us for an afternoon of sharp insights, open discussion, and shared thinking on the future of technology and democracy. 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eCSKYG_6 🗓️ 17 April 📍TU Delft Campus, Spui, The Hague 🕐 13:00-17:00 #ESDiT #BigTech #Democracy #TechForGood #PublicDebate #ImpactEvent #Impact #Philanthropy #Ethics #EffectiveAltruism #Limitarianism #BigAI #AGI #TUDelft #UtrechtUniversity #UniversityofTwente Delft University of Technology ESDiT Research Programme

🎓 PhD Defence | ESDiT Fellow We are proud to invite you to the PhD defence of our ESDiT research fellow, Patricia D. Reyes Benavides, presenting the dissertation: “The Technopolitics of the Climate Movement” What is the relationship between the Internet and contemporary climate activism? Can we understand climate movements without accounting for the technological infrastructures that shape them? And what happens when we rethink ‘technopolitics’ not just as strategy, but as a way of world-making? How do diverse experiences, worldviews, and practices within the climate movement coexist, and sometimes clash? What role does the Internet play in connecting these differences, weaving together a global yet fragmented movement? And what challenges arise when activists rely on digital infrastructures shaped by Big Tech? Through a rich combination of autoethnographic research, empirical studies, and philosophical analysis, this dissertation invites us to reconsider: 👉 Can climate activism online be understood as a form of non-hegemonic worlding? 👉 And what are the limits and risks of building alternative futures through infrastructures we do not fully control? Supervisory team (Co)promotors: Prof. Dr. Esther Turnhout (University of Twente) Prof. Dr. Nolen Gertz (University of Twente) Prof. Dr. Ingrid Robeyns (Utrecht University) 📍 University of Twente, Waaier Building 📅 Monday 13 April, 14:30-15:30 🔗 Live stream available: https://lnkd.in/emqV-nDf #PhDDefense #Technopolitics #ClimateMovement #DigitalActivism #Philosophy #ESDiT #ClimateEthics #DigitalSociety #AcademicResearch https://lnkd.in/emS4uiga

📢 Doing Good in the Age of Big Tech and Declining Democracy | 17 April, The Hague | MEET OUR PANEL As part of our upcoming impact event Doing Good in the Age of Big Tech and Declining Democracy, we bring together a diverse panel of experts to explore: Democratic Pathways Beyond Big Tech: Redirecting the Role of Technology for Public Good The panel discussion will take place from 14:30 to 15:30, following keynote lectures by Prof. Dr. Alice Crary and Prof. Dr. Ingrid Robeyns, which open the event at 13:00. Moderated by ESDiT Research Programme manager Dr. Radhika Mittal, this conversation bridges academia, policy, and practice, opening up new perspectives on how technology can better serve society. Our speakers: • Prof. Dr. Behnam Taebi – Professor of Energy & Climate Ethics at Delft University of Technology • Dr. Mariëtte van Huijstee – Coordinator at Rathenau Instituut • Olivia Vereha – Co-founder of Commit Global • Dr. Hamilcar Knops – Senior advisor at AWTI - Advisory council for science, technology and innovation • Prof. Dr. Sabine Roeser – Professor of Ethics at Delft University of Technology Expect a dynamic exchange of ideas, critical insights, and practical perspectives across disciplines. 👉 Secure your spot and be part of the conversation: https://lnkd.in/eCSKYG_6 #ESDiT #BigTech #Democracy #TechForGood #PublicDebate #ImpactEvent #Impact #Ethics #AppliedEthis #ResponsibleTech #TechPolicy #Philanthropy #PublicValues #PolicyMaking #DigitalSociety #BigAI #AGI #TUDelft #UtrechtUniversity #UniversityofTwente #EventsinTheHague