Introducing WSTNet

Introducing WSTNet – the Web Science Trust Network

The Network of Web Science Labs (WSTNet) represents one of the most important results of the Trust’s vision/mission of creating a new science of the Web.

Dozens of labs operate internationally in both the University and Commercial space to generate world-class research and insights into the impact the Web has on modern society.

Global Perspective

We cannot rely on a single view/perspective on the Web for an accurate picture of the cultural and socio-political tensions/forces which shape its development. With this in mind, WST has rallied Labs throughout Europe, Asia and the US to bring their voice and unique perspective to a vital discussion about the past/present/future states of the Web.

Diverse

Our Labs bring social, political and technical perspectives from their own regions to enrich our understanding of Networks which operate at global scale.

Interdisciplinary

Our Labs call on researchers across a broad spectrum of disciplines including Computing/AI, Law, Ethics, Sociology, Maths, Health, Government and beyond. This is a MINIMUM requirement for Web Science and the reason that research in this area is so challenging and so rewarding.

WSTNet Leadership

Emilio Ferrara

Chair WSTNet

Tat-Seng Chua

Vice-Chair WSTNet

World-Class Research

Web Science has been carefully developed and structured over the last decade into a unique discipline and has been recognised as worthy of its own conference and research journal spaces.

ACM Conference

Now in its 13th year – the ACM Web Science conference (WebSci) attracts both dedicated Web Science researchers as well as welcoming interdisciplinary perspectives on socio-technical systems, Ethics/Philosophy, social machines and complex network interactions at global scale.

Research Journals

Featured Interviews

Here are some selected quotes on the Web Science perspective by some of our Lab Directors and researchers.

“There are many India-specific challenges that need to be addressed by Web Science…the mission of RBC-DSAI includes enabling and studying the societal impact of AI and Data Science. The Web is the vehicle through which much of AI reaches society at large. It is imperative for us to be involved in Web Science research and enablement.”

Prof. B. Ravindran

Lab Director, RBC-DSAI

“The extension of the traditionally computer science focused Web research to the much broader notion of Web Science has established the Web as a topic of broad research across all disciplines. In Fraunhofer FOKUS we do a lot of research and projects that fall under this umbrella, for example the Weizenbaum Institute and the European Data Portal. We have understood that only a broad and multi-faceted understanding of the Web brings its benefits to fruition for society.”

Prof. Manfred Hauswirth

Lab Director, Fraunhofer

“These [Web] observatories enable us to mine weak signals and to perform causal reasoning to infer users insights from the data streams, with applications in FinTech, food security, and infectious disease detection.”

Prof. Tat-Seng Chua

WSTNet Vice-Chair, NUS Singapore

Latest News

See the latest news from the WSTNet labs and Lab Directors.

WSTNet Interview: Matt Weber

Ian: Matt, it feels strange to welcome you as our newest Lab Director when I think I've known you as part of the Web Science community for at least 10 years Matt: Probably longer - I think my interest in Web Science and particularly Web data goes back to the very...

In Conversation with: George Metakides

In this interview we sit down with Prof. George Metakides, one of our esteemed WST trustees, to talk about democracy in the digital space and why you should be concerned. Ian: George, thanks very much for taking the time to chat with me today. George: Always pleased...

In conversation with: Jennifer Zhu Scott

In conversation this time is well-known finance and digital economy expert, Jennifer Zhu Scott. Jen recently joined the WST Board of Trustees and we are delighted to welcome her. Ian Brown sat down to find out a little more about Jennifer's (Jen’s) path to Web Science...

WSTNet Lab Profile: Cardiff HateLab

Cardiff University is the home of a WSTNet lab with two related, but distinct groups: Pete Burnap's Social Data Lab (based on data visualisation and analysis using COSMOS) which makes social media analysis much more accessible for non-coding academics and also Matt...

In Conversation with: Bill Thompson

What do you get when you mix Philosophy, Applied Psychology, AI, Political activism and Unix programming with the Web? In conversation this time is well-known BBC journalist, author and technology pundit Bill Thompson, who is surely an obvious candidate for the titles...

Government agencies are tapping a facial recognition company to prove you’re you – here’s why that raises concerns about privacy, accuracy and fairness

Beginning this summer, you might need to upload a selfie and a photo ID to a private company, ID.me, if you want to file your taxes online. Oscar Wong/Moment via Getty Images James Hendler, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is...