ODISSEI Podcast

About ODISSEI Podcast

ODISSEI is the National Research Infrastructure for Social Sciences in the Netherlands, providing access to data, expertise, and computational tools for researchers. With a network of 51 member organizations and key partners like CBS, DANS, eScience Center, SURF, and Centerdata, ODISSEI supports the growing field of computational social science. In each episode, we cover topics like data access, research tools, and collaborative efforts that shape our understanding of society. Tom Emery, the Executive Director, engages experts in informal conversations, offering listeners an accessible look at how social science infrastructure supports innovative, impactful research. Follow us on Bluesky and Linkedin and reach out to us via info@odissei-data.nl.

Publisher

ODISSEI

Category

education · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Apr 2025

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Books of Life with Steve Ruggles

   In this month’s episode, Tom Emery talks to Steven Ruggles (University of Minnesota). Ruggles founded IPUMS, which gives researchers around the world free access to census and survey data. Together they discuss how linking census records, administrative data and surveys can trace lives across generations. They also cover what this means for privacy and public trust. Affiliations: Steven Ruggles – Steven Ruggles is Regents Professor of History and Population Studies at the University of Minnesota, and the Director of the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation Dr. Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links: https://www.ipums.org/

2. 

   7 Sept 2026

   The European Values Study and The World Values Survey with Tim Reeskens and Mark Boukes

   In this episode, Tom Emery talks with Professor Tim Reeskens and Associate Professor Mark Boukes about two of the world's longest-running surveys on social change. Together they explore what decades of data reveal about shifting attitudes toward politics, religion, trust, family, and identity, and whether today's debates about polarisation and cultural divides hold up against the evidence. The conversation also looks at how these surveys are adapting to declining response rates, digital trace data, and the AI era, and what they might tell us about where societies are heading next. Affiliations: Tim Reeskens – Professor of European Values and Societies in the Department of Sociology at Tilburg University. Country lead, European Values Study Mark Boukes – Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. Country lead, World Values Survey Dr. Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam

3. 

   9 Jul 2026

   The Netherlands Cohorts Consortium with Lana Fani

   In this episode, Tom Emery sits down with Lana Fani, Managing Director of the Netherlands Cohorts Consortium (NCC), to talk about her path into cohort research and what drew her to the NCC. Lana explains why cohort studies are such a powerful tool for health research as well as other fields, and how linking data across cohorts - the NCC's core ambition - could unlock findings a single study could seldom reach on its own. Tom and Lana also dig into an unexpected overlap: how health and social science data are connected, even when the two fields rarely talk to each other. Affiliations: Dr. Lana Fani, MD, Managing Director of the Netherlands Cohorts Consortium Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links: https://www.nwo.nl/projecten/fovyr99232 https://amazingerasmusmc.nl/epidemiologie/miljoenen-voor-landelijk-cohortonderzoek-naar-gezond-ouder-worden/

4. 

   15 Jun 2026

   The Replication Games with Jack Fitzgerald

   In this episode, Tom Emery talks with Jack Fitzgerald, a PhD candidate in economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Tinbergen Institute. Jack tells us all about replication, and how he developed his passion for it. He points out that replication can be a very useful tool for early career researchers to understand how experts in the field think about and conduct research, down to their code. He and Tom dig into how the Replication Games could change the research culture and how they came to be. Jack also discusses the challenges and opportunities inherent to administrative data, and suggests how those data could be made more accessible for replication. Affiliations: Jack Fitzgerald, PhD Candidate, School of Business and Economics, Ethics, Governance and Society; Tinbergen Institute Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links: https://www.i4replication.org/ (https://www.i4replication.org/)https://www.i4replication.org/blog/replication-games-in-secure-environments-replicating-research-with-dutch-administrative-data (https://www.i4replication.org/blog/replication-games-in-secure-environments-replicating-research-with-dutch-administrative-data)

5. 

   15 May 2026

   The Summer Institute in Computational Social Science with Chris Bail

   Tom Emery speaks with Chris Bail, Professor of Sociology, Computer Science, Political Science, and Public Policy at Duke University and co-founder of SICSS (the Summer Institutes in Computational Social Science). Nearly ten years on, Chris reflects on how SICSS grew from a single location to more than 50 worldwide, and the community that made it possible. He also explains why the part of the courses in which participants develop their own projects is the heart of the programme: a space where experimentation, and even failure, is part of learning. And with AI reshaping both education and the social sciences, Chris draws on the lessons of COVID-era adaptation to ask what it means to teach in the age of LLMs. Affiliations: Dr. Chris Bail, Professor of Sociology, Computer Science, Political Science, and Public Policy at Duke University; Co-founder of the Summer Institutes in Computational Social Sciences Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links: https://sicss.io/apply#faq https://sicss.io/overview https://github.com/compsocialscience/summer-institute https://sicss.io/tom

6. 

   7 Apr 2026

   The Comparative Panel File with Konrad Turek

   In this episode, Tom Emery speaks with Konrad Turek, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tilburg University and a core team member of the Comparative Panel File (CPF). As the recipient of the first ODISSEI Open Science Award, Konrad reflects on how seeing science as a collective endeavour, rather than an individual pursuit, shaped the development of the CPF with a small group of collaborators. He also discusses how open-source harmonisation projects like the CPF enhance explanatory power by enabling meaningful comparisons across countries and survey studies. Affiliations: Dr. Konrad Turek, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tilburg University Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful Links: https://cpfdata.com/ https://sociologicalscience.com/articles-v11-33-907/ https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1673209/full

7. 

   17 Mar 2026

   Using ODISSEI with Kasia Karpinska

   In this episode, Tom Emery is joined by Kasia Karpinska, Scientific Manager at ODISSEI, to talk about how researchers can get started with the ODISSEI infrastructure. Kasia shares practical insights on grant applications and using multiple ODISSEI facilities together. They also introduce the ODISSEI Early Career Board — a new initiative designed to support early-career researchers through training, development, and networking opportunities. Affiliations: Dr. Kasia Karpinska, Scientific Manager of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science Dr. Tom Emery - Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful Links: https://odissei-data.nl/facility/microdata-access-grant/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/cbs-microdata-discount/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/liss-panel-access/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/odissei-soda-fellowship/ https://odissei-data.nl/facility/grant-application-support/

8. 

   10 Feb 2026

   Software for Science with Adriënne Mendrik

   In this episode, Tom Emery speaks with Adriënne Mendrik, CEO and Co-founder of Eyra, an open-source software services company specialising in solutions for scientific research. Adriënne shares her journey from computer science and medical imaging to building software that supports sustainable and transparent research practices. She also discusses Eyra’s work in benchmarking and data donation initiatives, the role of open source in research software, and how her team helps shape advancements in social science infrastructure. Affiliations: Adriënne Mendrik, CEO and Co-founder of Eyra Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links: https://www.eyra.co/

9. 

   15 Jan 2026

   Historical Data Linkage with Kristina Thompson

   In this episode, we talk with Kristina Thompson from Wageningen University about the intersection of historical data and public health research. She explains why the Netherlands has such rich data resources, how historical trends illuminate health and society even today, and how automation can help improve the records. Kristina also shares her experience working with Delpher, the digitised historical newspaper archive, as well as other historical archival collections. Affiliations: Kristina Thompson, Assistant Professor at the University of Wageningen. Dr. Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI, the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links: https://www.delpher.nl/ (https://www.delpher.nl/) https://www.wur.nl/nl/personen/km-kristina-thompson (https://www.wur.nl/nl/personen/km-kristina-thompson)

10. 

    8 Dec 2025

    AI and the Future of Social Science Infrastructures with Merce Crosas

    Mercè Crosas discusses how AI transforms social science infrastructure, improving data access and analysis, while Tom Emery interviews her about the skills researchers need in an AI-driven landscape.

11. 

    12 Nov 2025

    Data Engineering and Software support with Netherlands eScience Center

    Flavio Hafner and Malte Luken explore how Research Software Engineering supports social science research, transforming projects with computational tools and ensuring reproducibility, in an interview with Dr. Tom Emery.

12. 

    15 Oct 2025

    Data Archiving with Ricarda Braukmann

    Ricarda Braukmann, Data Station Manager, discusses data archiving's role in open science, focusing on repositories, data reusability, and AI's impact, in an interview with Tom Emery, Executive Director at ODISSEI.

13. 

    9 Sept 2025

    Open Probability Panels with Marcel Das

    Dr. Tom Emery interviews Marcel Das, Director of Centerdata, discussing the unique features and research potential of the LISS Panel's open probability surveys.

14. 

    14 Aug 2025

    Trusted Research Environments with Lucas van der Meer

    Dr. Tom Emery interviews Lucas van der Meer, CTO of ODISSEI, about Trusted Research Environments and their role in advancing secure social science research.

15. 

    18 Jul 2025

    SHARE with Bella Struminskaya

    Bella Struminskaya, Associate Professor at Utrecht University, elucidates the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and its critical function in comprehending the lives of older Europeans in an interview with Dr. Tom Emery.

16. 

    12 Jun 2025

    FAIR Data with Angelica Maineri

    Angelica Maineri discusses FAIR data principles with Tom Emery, exploring ODISSEI's infrastructure and its practical application, in this interview.

17. 

    8 May 2025

    Benchmarking and Data Challenges with Liza Sivak

    In this episode, Tom Emery speaks with Liza Sivak about the role of benchmarking in demographic research and the challenges of working with fertility data. Liza presents the PreFer Benchmarking Challenge, an initiative to assess how well fertility outcomes in the Netherlands can currently be predicted, to improve our understanding of fertility. Affiliations Elizaveta Sivak is a sociologist and a computational social scientist. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the University of Groningen (https://www.rug.nl/), where she studies the predictability of fertility. She is co-organising a data challenge for predicting fertility outcomes in the Netherlands (PreFer). Dr. Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI (https://odissei-data.nl/en/), the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links https://stulp.gmw.rug.nl/prefer/ (https://stulp.gmw.rug.nl/prefer/) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42001-024-00275-6 (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42001-024-00275-6)

18. 

    1 Apr 2025

    Data Donation with Laura Boeschoeten

    In this episode, Tom Emery is joined by Laura Boeschoten to explore the concept of Data Donation. They discuss what it entails, how it works, and the potential it has to shape the future of research and data sharing. Affiliations: Laura Boeschoten is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Methodology and Statistics at Utrecht University. She currently works on building a Digital Data Donation platform which researchers can use to conduct data donation studies. Her research focuses on the various methodological challenges that researchers face when performing data donation studies and on designing intuitive and simple data donation workflows for both researchers and participants. Dr. Tom Emery – Executive Director of ODISSEI (https://odissei-data.nl/en/), the Dutch National Infrastructure for Social Science; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam Useful links https://datadonation.eu/ (https://datadonation.eu/)

Who has been a guest on ODISSEI Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Mercè Crosas
• Flavio Hafner
• Malte Luken
• Ricarda Braukmann
• Marcel Das

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 3 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

6

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact ODISSEI Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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