Visions in Methodology in Berlin: A conversation with Professor Asya Magazinnik

At the end of May and with spring in full bloom, Berlin became a hub for a growing and influential community of women scholars in political methodology. For three days, the Visions in Methodology (VIM) conference turned the Hertie School into a space of research exchange, mentorship and collaboration across career stages. 

Organised by Asya Magazinnik, Professor of Social Data Science at the Hertie School, and hosted by the Data Science Lab, the first Berlin edition brought together over 70 participants from across the field. The 2026 edition continued a tradition that has shaped the field since 2008, creating space for collaboration, feedback and academic community across career stages. 

We spoke with Professor Magazinnik about bringing VIM to Berlin and what makes the conference unique. 

What motivated you to bring the VIM conference to Europe?

My own career and professional networks span the US and Europe, and I’m always excited for opportunities to bring these two worlds together. As for VIM specifically, I’ve observed that there are a lot of women across Europe doing cutting-edge research in political methodology, but not nearly as many opportunities to build supportive networks across career stages and cross-nationally. We connect with one another through the usual conferences, of course, but these tend to be male-dominated spaces where some inequitable dynamics still, unfortunately, sometimes exist. VIM has built such an amazing community and done so much to make the discipline a more inclusive place through its activities in the US for nearly 20 years, and I thought it would be great to expand this network and extend this important work to the European methods community. 

Since 2008, VIM has been running as a space for collaboration in political methodology. How do you see its role evolving today, especially given the rise of AI and data-driven political research? 

We have more research tools, datasets and computational power at our disposal than ever before. AI and modern communication technologies have also created new political problems for social scientists to study, from misinformation to polarisation. So, it’s an incredibly exciting and generative time for our field. At the same time, it has never been more important to protect and develop human expertise in statistics, causal inference and game theory, so that we remain accountable for the research we produce and continue to speak to relevant social problems. Discussions at the conference addressed how to produce timeless insights about the social world even as we study and use rapidly evolving technologies.

The conference brings together scholars across career stages and institutions. What do you see as the barriers for early-career researchers in this field, and how does VIM try to address them?

On the last day of the conference, we hosted a panel dedicated to learning about and openly discussing challenges facing early-career researchers. The questions that emerged revolved around how to build one’s academic community; how to take up space in hostile or inequitable professional environments; how to navigate the current academic job market; and how to maintain work-life balance. These questions don’t have easy answers, but I think that talking openly and collecting experiences was valuable for our participants.

As the organiser of the first European VIM, what has been the most unexpected challenge or surprise in bringing and hosting the conference to Berlin? 

I was pleasantly surprised by how many people came to Berlin, including many who travelled very long distances. It’s a testament to the appetite for events like this, as well as how attractive Berlin is to visit when spring finally arrives. 

About Visions in Methodology
Visions in Methodology supports women scholars in political methodology through networking, mentoring, and professional development. The organisation aims to address underrepresentation of women in this academic field and provides a unique platform for scholars to present research in a friendly, positive environment while receiving critical feedback. Visit the Visions in Methodology website for more information.