CEU Department of Network and Data Science

22/04/2026

Join us this Friday (April 24) at the 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵.

Elisa Omodei will present 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘋𝘰 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴?, exploring how mobile phone and social media data can help uncover patterns in human behavior, inequality, and online polarization.

The talk takes place at Central European University in Vienna and is open to a wide audience.

Learn more:

Every call, location ping or post leaves a digital footprint—and these traces reveal more than habits. Mobile metadata helps track wildfire evacuations, identify vulnerable groups, and expose inequalities. Social media data maps how opinions spread, where polarization grows, and how communities en...

03/02/2026

What is the structure of psychopathology when viewed from the perspective of individuals seeking support?

In a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Bojan Evkoski, Srebrenka Letina, and Petra Kralj Novak use network analysis to examine how mental health conditions relate to one another beyond formal diagnostic boundaries. They construct a Reddit-based network of 545K users active in 114 carefully annotated mental health subreddits and compare its structure to that implied by ICD diagnostic categories, focusing on transdiagnostic patterns and tunnel visioning in peer support seeking.

The results reveal substantial structural differences between associations emerging from Reddit and ICD. At the same time, both networks display a highly interconnected structure, empirically reinforcing the need to rethink and refactor psychiatric nosology.

Read more here: https://www.jmir.org/2026/1/e80958/

Work by Bojan Evkoski, Srebrenka Letina and Petra Kralj Novak.

University of Limerick Department of Psychology

28/01/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our PhD candidate Piero Birello, winner of the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition!

With his talk “Does the city decide how we move and who we meet?”, Piero engaged the audience with a clear and accessible account of how urban structure shapes mobility patterns—and even the diversity of people we encounter in everyday life.

His research, supervised by Márton Karsai, combines mobile phone GPS data with detailed information on urban environments and socio-demographic profiles, showing how proximity to amenities and public spaces subtly but powerfully influences our movements and social interactions.

▶️ Watch the award-winning presentation here:

The CEU Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) 2026 Final celebrated the diversity, depth, and societal relevance of doctoral research at Central European University. In...

22/01/2026

🎓 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲! 🎉

Yesterday, on January 21, 2026, our doctoral student Júlia Számely successfully defended her PhD dissertation, "Understanding Misinformation Engagement through Digital Trace Data: From Easy-Access to Donated Data."

Juli’s research explores how combining survey data with digital trace data can offer a more accurate and ethically grounded understanding of who engages with misinformation online—and why. Across three empirical studies, she examined behavioral indicators of misinformation sharing, the conditions under which people are willing to donate digital trace data, and how socio-demographic characteristics and online behaviors relate to misinformation engagement across different political and cultural contexts.

👏 Congratulations to Juli on this important achievement!

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲:
Chair: Mark Wittek
Supervisor: Elisa Omodei
Co-supervisor: Júlia Koltai
External examiners: Gabriela Czarnek (Jagellonian University), Mohsen Mosleh (University of Oxford)
🎉📚

17/12/2025

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀

Traditional social network models focus on pairwise interactions—but real social life often unfolds in groups.

In a new 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 in 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳, Federico Battiston, Onkar Sadekar, and colleagues show how higher-order social networks capture group-level interactions that shape collective behavior. Using empirical data from scientific collaborations and contact networks, they demonstrate how these models reveal mechanisms behind group formation, social contagion, cooperation, and moral behavior that remain hidden in dyadic approaches.

By moving beyond pairs, higher-order models open new directions for behavioral experiments, cultural dynamics, team science, and cross-disciplinary research.

🔗 Read the article:

Battiston et al. discuss the emerging paradigm of higher-order network science and its applications to social systems and human dynamics.

27/11/2025

🎉 Huge congratulations to our newest PhD graduate, Onkar Sadekar! 🎉

We’re thrilled to celebrate Onkar’s successful defense of his dissertation, “Collective Dynamics in Evolutionary Processes and Strategic Group Interactions,” completed at the Department of Network and Data Science at CEU.

His work makes an outstanding contribution to our understanding of how group-level interactions shape cooperation, innovation, and cultural evolution — a topic at the heart of complexity science and higher-order network modeling. The Dissertation Committee — Elisa Omodei chair, Federico Battiston supervisor and external examiners Henrik Olsson (Complexity Science Hub), and Francisco C. Santos (University of Lisbon) — praised the thesis for its exceptional scientific quality, strong theoretical and empirical depth, and clear, mature presentation. Onkar was awarded the PhD degree 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲. 👏

A big congratulations once again to Dr. Sadekar! We’re looking forward to seeing the new questions you’ll tackle and the collaborations you’ll spark. 🚀📚🌐

All doctoral dissertations from our program are publicly available through the CEU Library. Onkar’s dissertation will appear here shortly: https://bit.ly/4re6Qmi

27/10/2025

𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 ✨

🙌 Allow us to introduce you to 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗢𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗶, Associate Professor at Central European University.

❓ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁?
I currently study how socio-political behaviors—such as political polarization, engagement with misinformation, and attitudes toward minorities—manifest online and offline, and the role of social media in shaping these dynamics.

💡 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗦𝗰/𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
Use your time in the program to explore different methodologies and research areas. It is a unique opportunity to discover what truly excites you.

💃🌍🍷 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮?
I love dancing (from modern and contemporary to lindy hop), traveling, and relaxing with a good crime novel and a glass of wine.

🔗 𝗖𝗘𝗨 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: https://people.ceu.edu/node/2700
🔗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲: https://elisaomodei.weebly.com/

15/10/2025

𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 ✨

🙌 Allow us to introduce you to 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮́𝘇𝘀 𝗩𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀, Professor at Central European University.

❓ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁?
I am working on collaborative network dynamics in creative fields and civic activism. Currently, I focus on the role of network tensions in creativity, and the role of artificial agents in protest network cohesion.

💡 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗦𝗰/𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
Ask research questions that you are really passionate about, because it is easier to follow your true curiosity in the long journey of research rather than someone else's ideas.

🎨🎸 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮?
Being creative—painting, playing music...

🔗 CEU Profile: https://people.ceu.edu/balazs_vedres

02/10/2025

🌟 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 🌟

We are proud to share that our colleagues have published the 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲-𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝘆𝘀𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝗣𝗠𝗗𝗗) 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, now out in Scientific Reports.

By analyzing 𝟭𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗿/𝗣𝗠𝗗𝗗 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝟭𝟳,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀), the study explores:
🔹 How PMDD relates to depression and anxiety over time
🔹 The wide range of psychological and physical symptoms discussed
🔹 Treatment patterns, from SSRIs to contraceptives and complementary medicine

This work highlights how online peer support communities can complement clinical understanding of complex conditions like PMDD.

👉 Read the full open-access article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-19220-2

👏 Congratulations to the authors: Bojan Evkoski, Srebrenka Letina (DNDS PhD alumna 🎓), Petra Kralj Novak, and Julie Riddell!

The growing reliance on online communities has reshaped how individuals articulate, validate, and navigate psychological distress. However, the value of online peer support spaces remains insufficiently studied, particularly in the context of underrecognized conditions such as Premenstrual Dysphoric...

30/09/2025

𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 ✨

🙌 Allow us to introduce you to 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗝𝗮́𝗻𝗼𝘀 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲́𝘀𝘇, Professor at Central European University.

❓ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁?
I analyze and model the structure and dynamics of human society and the related socio-politico-economic outcomes.

💡 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
Learn and practice Python, and try a small research project related to networks.

📚🎬🎶 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮?
I’m a literary omnivore, moving freely across genres and disciplines. My current shelf holds Alexei Navalny’s autobiography, Steffen Schröder’s novel about Max Planck, Fritz Breithaupt’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯, and Mario Vargas Llosa’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. I often return to the great masters—Tolstoy, Dickens, Thomas Mann—and I still read poetry, especially Hungarian poets.

For relaxation, I enjoy a good detective film (though never series!), and at the cinema I look for something memorable. I liked 𝘖𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳; somewhat less 𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, though Adrien Brody’s performance was excellent. The great directors of my youth—Fellini, Bergman, Antonioni—remain lasting influences.

I also enjoy classical music. Budapest offers much, but Vienna remains the world capital. We regularly attend concerts, usually with a subscription to the Konzerthaus, and evenings at the Wiener Staatsoper are always a magnificent experience.

🔗 𝗖𝗘𝗨 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲: https://people.ceu.edu/janos_kertesz