On August 6, 2026, SMART hosted the course Argumentative Writing in Academic Research, led by Kai Hüwelmeyer from the Institut für Argumentationskompetenz. The trainer connected formal reasoning with practical argumentative writing for a highly interdisciplinary group, showing how clear argument structure can help researchers communicate complex ideas across disciplinary boundaries. The course aimed at equipping […]

On July 31, 2026, SMART Master Lab Cohort 3.0 came together for its guided poster tour and send-off event. The session marked the conclusion of the current Master Lab round, which began with the kick-off day on May 4, 2026. Over the course of the program, students worked on research questions connected to current SmallData […]

How can academics use large language models in writing without giving up originality, rigor, or accountability? This was the central question at the workshop “Responsible Use of LLMs in Academic Writing”, held on Monday, July 20, 2026, at the Hörsaal Rundbau in Freiburg. The event brought together perspectives from dissertation research, manuscript preparation, scholarly publishing, […]

From June 29 to July 1, our doctoral researchers came together in the Black Forest for the SMART Retreat 2026. In preparation for this year’s SMART Retreat, early career researchers met on June 18 to pitch a rich variety of topics for the Writing/Coding/Collaboration/Discussion (WCCD) sessions. During this preparation meeting, the pitches were refined: topics […]

How can academics use large language models (LLMs) responsibly without compromising originality, rigor, or trust? This workshop brings together perspectives from dissertation research, manuscript preparation, scholarly publishing, and mathematics to explore how LLMs are changing academic writing. Speakers will discuss how AI tools can support learning, critical thinking, innovation, and more efficient writing processes, while […]

On May 4, 2026, SMART Master Lab Cohort 3.0 came together for its kick-off day at IMBI. The program opened with SMART PI Nadine Binder, who introduced the SmallData / SMART context, followed by SMART Coordinator Iván Acevedo, who outlined structure, goals and timeline of the program.  A central part of the day was the exchange between students […]