SOCRATES Summer School 2025: Ignorance, Uncertainty & Public Trust in Science

The SOCRATES group – Social Credibility and Trustworthiness of Expert Knowledge and Science-Based Information – invites applications for its Summer School 2025 on Ignorance, Uncertainty & Public Trust in Science at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany

19 August 2025 13:00 CEST – 22 August 2025 13:30 CEST

Speakers: T.Y. Branch, Anke Bueter, Stephen John, Quill Kukla, Mathias Frisch, Torsten Wilholt

Deadline for applications: 17 January 2025 (23:59 CET)

We are pleased to invite applications for a three-day training programme designed for early-career researchers and PhD students working on topics related to ignorance, uncertainty, and public trust in science. This programme offers a unique opportunity to engage with peers and senior researchers in the field, fostering in-depth discussions on how scientists address or contribute to uncertainty and ignorance, the ways these uncertainties and blind spots are communicated to the public, and their impact on public trust in science.

Participants will benefit from interactive reading sessions, talks by experienced scholars, and opportunities to present their own work. They also have the opportunity to discuss writing processes, potential obstacles, and strategies for overcoming them. The summer school also provides additional informal venues for networking and socializing with peers.

Location and participation fee

Summer School location: Werkhof | Schaufelder Str. 11 | 30167 Hannover | Germany

Participation fee incl. accommodation, breakfast, and lunch: 327.00 €
Travel costs are at the participant’s expense.

We invite applications from researchers with the following profile:

• Pursuing a PhD in philosophy, sociology, communication and media studies, or a related discipline;
• Associated with an academic institution (university, non-university research institution);
• Dissertation project on the topics explored at SOCRATES, especially ignorance, uncertainty and public trust in science;
• Willingness to actively participate in the interactive sessions of the Summer School and give at least a 3-minute elevator pitch of your project; longer presentations are optional.

Leibniz University Hannover promotes equal opportunities and diversity. For this reason, female and non-binary researchers are particularly encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to equally-qualified applicants with disabilities. We also particularly encourage applications from researchers from the Global South.

Application procedure

Please submit your application via this page.

Deadline: 17 January 2025 (23:59 CET)

About SOCRATES

SOCRATES is a Centre for Advanced Studies funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is based at the Institute for Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover. It is headed by Prof. Dr. Mathias Frisch (as speaker) and Prof. Dr. Torsten Wilholt. It provides a forum for interdisciplinary as well as inner-disciplinary exchange on scientific credibility and trust in science. By hosting researchers from philosophy, sociology, communication and media studies, and other fields, SOCRATES wants to work towards a comprehensive and coherent philosophical treatment of these research topics. Scientific fields within which these themes will be explored include climate science and the climate crisis, scientific expertise in the health sciences, and credibility within and of the behavioural sciences.

More information about SOCRATES can be found here.

Questions?

Please contact the SOCRATES Summer School coordinator, Ilvie Prince (ilvie.otto@philos.uni-hannover).