SmallData Symposium 2024

Calendar

Here you can find a list of SmallData events. All events are open to the public unless otherwise specified. If hybrid options are available, they will be listed in the individual event. All events are in Central European Time (CET) or Central European Summer Time (CEST).

Follow these instructions to join our event mailing list!

Internal Event Only
Any events marked with internal event only are unfortunately only for our SmallData members.

Directions to the IMBI Lecture Hall
When you arrive at Stefan-Meier-Straße 26, enter the building and go up the stairs to the first floor. At the first floor, you will see a glass door. If the door is locked, press the small button located to your left for entry. After entering through the glass door, turn left and walk down the corridor. You will arrive at one of the SmallData Offices. The IMBI Lecture Hall is located to the left of this SmallData Office.

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2025

Tuesday, November 25
13:00 – 
16:00

Workshop: Being explicit to machine learning models – but how much ?

Location: IMBI Lecture Hall, 1st Floor, Stefan-Meier-Straße 26, 79104 Freiburg
Machine learning can learn even complex structure from seemingly weakly structured heterogeneous data. Nevertheless, inference and finally predictions depend on conditions, namely training data and hyperparameters, while these conditions are implicit and therefore not as clearly observed as in classical modeling where, e.g., relationships of variables are explicitly described. Given the obscure nature of the conditions in machine learning settings, limits of prediction performance and subsequently limits of utility for decision making are difficult to assess or even estimate. The goal of this workshop is to assess to what extent explicit knowledge such as causal relationships between variables needs to be incorporated into machine learning approaches in order to robustly estimate their uncertainty in prediction / decision making.
Moderator: Moritz Hess (B03)

2026

Thursday, February 26
15:00 – 
18:00

FRIAS Workshop: What it takes to build and lead successful interdisciplinary research initiatives

Location: FRIAS Seminar Room, FRIAS, Albertstr. 19, 79104 Freiburg

Date: February 26, 2026
Time: 15:00 – 18:00
Location: FRIAS Seminar Room, FRIAS, Albertstr. 19, 79104 Freiburg

Are you a senior researcher interested in shaping collaborative research initiatives, such as Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs), in particular with respect to interdisciplinary collaboration?

As part of the FRIAS Colloquium series, this set of invited speaker presentations, as well as panel discussion, will explore strategies for effective interdisciplinary collaboration, e.g. between methods researchers and researchers from other fields. The discussion will address shared goals, communication practices, and domain-specific challenges within CRCs.

As part of the FRIAS Colloquium series, this workshop will explore strategies for effective interdisciplinary collaboration, e.g. between methods researchers and researchers from other fields. The discussion will address shared goals, communication practices, and domain-specific challenges within CRCs.

The program will open with a welcome by Ralf von den Hoff, Executive Director of the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies.

Following this, invited speakers will share their experiences from leading collaborative research consortia:

The talks will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Stefan Rensing, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation at the University of Freiburg, on actionable ways to improve collaboration; and finally, a Meet the Speaker session offering opportunities for direct exchange with the invited speakers.

Registration

Please register here before February 4, 2026. 

Note: The workshop registration is free, and anyone can attend without a fee. Due to limited space, the number of participants is limited.

 

Agenda
15:00 – 15:10 Introduction on the Topic of Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives
Ralf von den Hoff
15:10 – 16:00 Invited Presentations: approaches, challenges, and experiences in integrating methods research & subject-matter domains
Harald Binder, Anna Köttgen, Robert Zeiser, Marlene Bartos, Christiane Werner
16:00 – 16:45 Panel Discussion: identifying actionable strategies for improving collaboration between methods and domain specialist researchers
Moderated by Stefan Rensing
16:45 – 17:00 Coffee Break
17:00 – 18:00 Meet the Speaker Session

 

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Administrative Manager

Marc Schumacher

Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics,
Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center –
University of Freiburg