Wednesdays@NICO
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, networks, and artificial intelligence. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. This seminar series not only brings some of the top researchers in complex systems from around the country to NICO, but also stimulates interdisciplinary discussion and collaborations. Please join us on Wednesdays at 12 PM US Central in person in Chambers Hall or via Zoom.
Nominate a speaker for our Wednesdays@NICO speaker series.
Sign up to present at one of our NICO Lightning Talk sessions.
Fall 2026 Seminar Speakers
The World is on Fire. Is it Time to Follow the Science Yet?
Luis Amaral, Erastus Otis Haven Professor, Professor of Engineering Sciences and Applied, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University
September 30, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Abstract and Bio - Add to Outlook / Google Calendar
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/94166965463
PW: NICO26
Social Dynamics of Human-Algorithm Interactions Amplify Social Dysfunction
Kristina Lerman, Professor of Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, Indiana University
October 7, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Abstract and Bio - Add to Outlook / Google Calendar
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/93389536671
PW: NICO26
Chat Agents, Conspiracy Theory & Threat Narratives: Cultural Analytics and Narrative at Scale
Timothy Tangherlini, Elizabeth H. and Eugene A. Shurtleff Chair in Undergraduate Education, Distinguished Professor in the Dept. of Scandinavian and the School of Information, University of California, Berkeley
October 14, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Abstract and Bio - Add to Outlook / Google Calendar
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/95645191725
PW: NICO26
Human Relational Ecology and Conversational AI: From Social Actor to Asymmetric Co-Regulation
Andreia Sofia Teixeira, Associate Professor, Network Science Institute, Northeastern University London
October 21, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Abstract and Bio - Add to Outlook / Google Calendar
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/98367624907
PW: NICO26
Why Incarcerating Cartel Members has not Worked to Reduce their Violence
Rafael Prieto-Curiel, Faculty Member, Complexity Science Hub Vienna
October 28, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Abstract and Bio - Add to Outlook / Google Calendar
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/94858847147
PW: NICO26
Challenges in Achieving Human-AI Collaboration
Hamsa Bastani, Associate Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions, and Statistics and Data Science, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
November 4, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Abstract and Bio - Add to Outlook / Google Calendar
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/91360427929
PW: NICO26
Proof of Human: the Invisible Turing Test for the Internet
Mayank Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO, Proof of Human
November 11, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Abstract and Bio - Add to Outlook / Google Calendar
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/96392420891
PW: NICO26
Spring 2026 Seminar Speakers
How Unequal Participation Sustains Online Hate
Yu-Ru Lin, Professor, School of Computing and Information, and Research Director of the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security (Pitt Cyber), University of Pittsburgh
April 8, 2026, 12:00pm Central
AI meets Peer Review: The Ace, the Cheat, the Bluff, and the Tell
Nihar Shah, Associate Professor, Machine Learning and Computer Science Departments, Carnegie Mellon University
April 15, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Structural Inequities across Layers of Social Context as Drivers of HIV
Michelle Birkett, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
April 22, 2026, 12:00pm Central
The End of Violence - How do we do that?
Gary Slutkin, Founder, Cure Violence Global
April 29, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Conceptual and Theoretical Challenges in the Study of Multi-Species Coexistence
Daniel B. Stouffer, Research Group Leader, Department of Evolutionary and Integrative Ecology, the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
May 6, 2026, 12:00pm Central
POSTPONED - Challenges in Achieving Human-AI Collaboration
Hamsa Bastani, Associate Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions, and Statistics and Data Science, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
May 13, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Lightning Talks with NU Scholars!
May 20, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Speakers:
Yulin Yu, Postdoctoral Fellow, Kellogg School of Management
Feihong Xu, PhD Candidate, McCormick School of Engineering
Maalvika Bhat, PhD Student, School of Communication
Rochana Chaturvedi, Postdoctoral Fellow, Kellogg School of Management
Winter 2026 Seminar Speakers
Soft Rules for Biological Engineering: Context and Complexity in Evolutionary Genetics and Beyond
Brandon Ogbunu, Associate Professor, Yale School of Medicine
February 4, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Science in the Age of AI
Chenhao Tan, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Data Science, University of Chicago
February 11, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Agentic Interactions
Alex Imas, Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Professor of Behavioral Science, Economics, and Applied AI, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
February 18, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Transforming Research and Innovation for Acutely Ill Children
Todd Florin and Nelson Sanchez-Pinto, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
February 25, 2026, 12:00pm Central
The Academic Use of Social Media, LLMs and AI-Assisted Decision-Making
Ágnes Horvát, Associate Professor, Northwestern School of Communication
March 4, 2026, 12:00pm Central
Point Taken: A Gamified Intervention that Creates Enlightened Disagreements
Steven Franconeri, Professor of Psychology, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University
March 11, 2026, 12:00pm Central