When:  Friday, January 30, 2026     

Where:  Parrington Hall Room 360 and on Zoom

1:1 Meetings: Follow this link to sign up 

Rapid demographic transitions and changing family structures are increasing the number of adults aging with limited close kin. Drawing on mixed-methods evidence from Thailand and Singapore, this talk examines how childlessness and other forms of constrained kin availability shape long-term care and advance care planning in later life. Findings reveal substantial heterogeneity among childless older adults, pronounced gender differences in care vulnerabilities and planning behaviors, and persistent tensions between familistic norms and the lived realities of kin limitation. Moving beyond deficit-based framings, the presentation highlights adaptive strategies through which older adults reconfigure care and planning, and argues for reimagining kin, care, and policy in low-fertility, family-oriented societies. This seminar is co-sponsored by the Population Health Initiative.

CSDE Affiliate Theresa Rocha Beardall’s (Sociology) contributions to her field were recently recognized in two ways. First, Rocha Beardall was selected to serve as an Associate Editor for Youth & Society, a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal that focuses on issues related to the 10-24 year old population. Second,Rocha Beardall was selected as one of eleven finalists for the William T. Grant Scholars Class of 2031.  The Scholars Program began in 1982 and has a rich history of supporting the development of early-career researchers in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. Applicants for the Scholars Program propose five-year research and mentoring plans that expand their expertise with new methods and content areas.

In a recent article in Identities, CSDE External Affiliate Elizabeth Korver-Glenn (University of North Carolina) examined the narrative and performative aspects of immigrant and native-born residents’ neighborhood meaning-making. The research team drew from 37 in-depth interviews to understand how immigrant and native-born Swedish people perceive immigrant neighborhoods in two Swedish cities. Most respondents perceived immigrant neighborhoods as stigmatized, and most of these respondents engaged in discursive destigmatization of immigrant neighborhoods. For some respondents, discursive destigmatization extended to their actions--they were current residents who preferred to continue living in their neighborhoods. For others--all of whom were non-residents of immigrant neighborhoods--discursive destigmatization remained surface-level: they reported avoiding or preferring not to live in these areas. Finally, some respondents narratively reinscribed neighborhood stigma and expressed a desire to leave or avoid these areas. The results highlight the urgency of ameliorating material inequalities between neighborhoods rather than assuming a goal of integration.

Each quarter, CSDE offers 3-5 workshops on data sources, statistical and biomarker methodology, introductions to analysis programs, and more, all given by CSDE staff and faculty affiliates. These workshops can include hands-on training in novel methods and programming, lectures on innovative data sources, and discussions of important issues in research and data collection. Over the course of the academic year, CSDE will offer a diverse and exciting set of workshops, some of which will be offered in person and others remotely via Zoom.

• Survey Methods II: Statistical Analysis of Surveys in R
  
  • Date & Time: Tuesday Jan 27 @ 10:00AM–12:00PM
  • Instructors: Jessica Godwin
• Biomarker Lab Methods I: Immunoassay Principles
  
  • Date: Tuesday, Jan 27 @ 3:00PM-4:00PM
  • Instructor: Tiffany Pan
• Biomarker Lab Methods II: Hands-on Lab Work
  
  • Date: Thursday, Jan 29 @ 12:00PM-4:00PM
  • Instructor: Tiffany Pan

The Center for Social Science Computation and Research (CSSCR) is offering seven workshops during Winter 2026 Quarter, open to all members of the UW community, whether student, faculty or staff.  See a full list with workshop descriptions and registration links here. 

CSSS provides free statistical consulting to current UW faculty, staff, and students working on social science problems.  They offer guidance at any stage of a project — from study design and planning through the selection and interpretation of statistical models. During Winter 2026 quarter, CSSS has two consulting options: scheduled appointments and drop-in sessions. See further details on the CSSS website.

When: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 from 10 – 11 am

Where: Raitt 223 and on Zoom

Title: Drawing Rhinoceroses with Algorithms: Inference on Predicted Data and its implications for Demography (Kentaro Hoffman)

Machine learning is increasingly used in demography to predict quantities that were once directly observed. Yet predictions are often treated as data, a practice that can lead to biased estimates and misleading uncertainty. This talk introduces Inference on Predicted Data (IPD), a framework for conducting valid statistical inference when outcomes are generated by black-box prediction models rather than measured directly.

When: January 28, 2026 at 12:30 pm

Where: 409 Savery Hall and on Zoom

Title: Epistemic Diversity Across Language Models Mitigates Knowledge Collapse” (Jevin West)

The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) raises concerns of knowledge collapse, i.e., a reduction to the most dominant and central set of ideas. Prior work has demonstrated single-model collapse, defined as performance decay in an AI model trained on its own output. Inspired by ecology, we ask whether AI ecosystem diversity, that is, diversity among models, can mitigate such a collapse. We build on the single-model approach but focus on ecosystems of models trained on their collective output. We find that increased epistemic diversity mitigates collapse, but, interestingly, only up to an optimal level. In the context of AI monoculture, our results suggest the need to monitor diversity across AI systems and to develop policies that incentivize more domain- and community-specific models.​

The University of Maryland’s Social Data Science (SoDa) Center invites you to join a symposium in celebration of privacy week.  The symposium on January 28, 2026 at 11 am PT will feature two presentations followed by Q&A. The registration link for this free webinar can be found here.

Join this webinar on Friday, January 30, at 12:00pm ET, with an expert panel of scientists providing a demographic overview of the U.S. immigrant population. The panel will discuss how immigrants contribute to the U.S. workforce and the solvency of social insurance programs, including Medicare and Social Security. Participants will also learn how some recent policy changes are impacting specific industries, including the technology and agricultural sectors. Read more and register.

Abstract submissions are now open for the 2026 Data-Intensive Research Conference. The 2026 conference theme is Novel Data Linkages and Innovative Life Course Research. Enriching population data through data linkage creates novel data sources that can shed light on life course processes. Linking across time allows for the examination of transitions and trajectories and linking to contextual information situates the experiences of individuals and populations in their environments. Review the call for proposals and submit an abstract.

Recognize a fellow demographer (or yourself!) who has contributed to the profession. Nominations are open for the the Annual Awards of the Population Association of America and close on January 31, 2026. Awards given in 2026 include:

• Clifford C. Clogg Award for Mid-Career Achievement
• Early Achievement Award
• Mindel C. Sheps Award
• Dorothy S. Thomas Award
• Sara McLanahan Award
• Excellence in Public Service Award.

• Research Awards – up to $15,000
• Global Learning - Study Abroad/Away - up to $5,000 per year
• Global Learning - Teaching and Curriculum - up to $2,000
• Global Learning - COIL - up to $2,000

Organization: Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood

Award amount: Undisclosed award amount, but past amounts have averaged around $50,000. Sponsor deadline: 01/31/2026

Description:  The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood is an incubator of promising research and development projects that appear likely to improve the welfare of young children, from infancy through 7 years, in the United States. Welfare is broadly defined to include physical and mental health, safety, nutrition, education, play, familial support, acculturation, societal integration and childcare. (read more)

Proposals for the spring cycle of the UW eScience Institute Data Science & AI Accelerator are due Sunday, February 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The Accelerator program pairs eScience Institute data scientists with researchers from any field of study to work on focused, collaborative projects. We highly recommend applicants attend office hours and read our FAQ’s.

PAA looks forward to seeing you May 6-9 in St. Louis, Missouri!

All accepted presenters will be required to pre-register for the conference by February 4, 2026 to secure spot on the program. The program and schedule will not be available until mid-February. Registration is now open for you to secure your spot at PAA 2026. See all details and register here.

PAA is looking for volunteers to be chairs and discussants for some additional PAA sessions at the 2026 annual meeting. Selections will be made on a first come, first serve basis. Sign up here.

The virtual Center on Aging, Health, and Environment (CACHE) is hosting a webinar, titled “Climate Hazard Center’s rainfall (CHIRPS) and temperature (CHIRTS) datasets: Everything you want to know about these valuable resources” delivered by Dr. Shraddhanand Shukla (UCSB). Join CACHE on February 5, at 2 pm PT. Register in advance to join! Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email containing the password required to join the seminar.

The INVEST Conference 2026 is accepting abstract submissions through February 9, 2026. The conference theme is “Building equal societies: from scientific findings to societal transformation”. INVEST 2026 will take place May 8-9, 2026 in Turku, Finland.

The INVEST Conference is an interdisciplinary meeting point for researchers who are committed to understanding and reducing social inequalities. We warmly invite researchers from all career stages to submit their work and join us in Turku next spring. 

We are now accepting applications for the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Early Career Workshop. This opportunity provides early stage investigators with training on how to transform their research ideas into competitive NIH grant applications. The workshop includes strategies for developing strong NIH proposals, navigating the peer review process, and building a professional network to support a successful research career. The application submission deadline is February 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

Organization: Templeton World Charity Foundation

Award amount: $5-20 million overall Sponsor deadline: 02/13/2026

Description:  The Templeton World Charity Foundation is looking for ideas to form the basis of future funding priorities aligned with the Foundation’s purpose. Ideas should be bold and innovative, with the potential to deepen or expand our understanding of ultimate reality and what it means to be human. We seek ideas for rigorous research programs that can impact how we each see the world and our place within it. (read more)

The LIVES Centre (the Swiss Centre of expertise in life course research) is launching the ‘Good Life’ Data Challenge, a large-scale collaboration using the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) to address a key question: What predicts the feeling of having lived a happy, meaningful, and interesting (psychologically rich) life thus far?

The call can be found here.  The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2026.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is requesting public input on its proposal to establish harmonized and transparent policy requirements for protecting human participant research data. Specifically, NIH proposes to: (1) establish policy requirements for which data should be controlled-access under NIH data sharing policies, and (2)  revise the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy to simplify and harmonize requirements. The full proposal can be found here. Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the policy proposals as described in the request for information.

Submit your work for the 2026 Annual IAPHS Conference in Portland, OR!

Theme: Reimagining Population Health Science to Build Trust and Influence​
​Dates: September 29 – October 2, 2026
​Submission Window: December 2, 2025 – March 10, 2026

IAPHS is currently seeking abstract reviewers and is accepting Student Travel Scholarship applications until March 8. 

Award amount: $200,000

Sponsor deadline: 03/11/2026

Program description: The Russell Sage Foundation’s (RSF) program on Social, Political, and Economic Inequality supports innovative research on the factors that contribute to social, political, and economic inequalities in the U.S., and the extent to which those inequalities affect social, political, psychological, and economic outcomes such as educational and labor market access and opportunities, social and economic mobility within and across generations, and civic participation and representation.  (read more)

The Population Council invites applications for Editors, Population & Development Review (PDR). Individual applications as well as applications for Co-Editor teams that pair senior scholars working with mid-career scholars are welcomed by March 16, 2026. Two Editors will be appointed for a three-year term, beginning January 1, 2027. The term can be extended to five years total at the discretion of the Council.

Award amount: $100,000

Sponsor deadline: 04/01/2026

Program description: The Russell Sage Foundation (RSF), in collaboration with the Criminal Justice program at Arnold Ventures (AV) is pleased to announce its first annual grants competition for early-career scholars. Our goal is to cultivate a pipeline of researchers conducting causal research on the criminal justice system. Criminal justice policies and practices include the work of police, courts, jails, prisons, probation and parole, and immigration detention. Proposals must include causal research designs that can reliably isolate the treatment effects of a policy. (read more)

The Vienna Yearbook of Population Research welcomes submissions for a Special Issue on “Demographic perspectives on migration”. Submit your manuscript until May 15, 2026.

The editors invite contributions expanding the state-of-the-art knowledge and methodological approaches across a broad range of migration topics, including trends and spatial patterns, innovative data and methods, socio-economic inequalities, drivers of mobility and immobility, climate-related and crisis-driven migration, and links between migration and family or health outcomes.