The Digital Technology for Democracy Lab and the Biocomplexity Institute launched their new joint colloquium series on November 12, supported by the Contagion Science program. The inaugural event spotlighted cutting-edge research on how societies prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters—domains where scientific modeling, democratic governance, and questions of fairness intersect in urgent ways.

Ehsan Nouri presented new models of self-organized disaster response, offering insight into how communities coordinate spontaneously when institutional systems are strained. His work examines how an improved understanding of bottom-up behavior can strengthen decision-making and improve the legitimacy and effectiveness of crisis interventions. PhD candidate Ashik Islam followed with a talk on fairness in evacuation planning, examining how equity can be embedded directly into the algorithms and policies that shape who receives protection, when, and under what conditions. His research underscores the ethical stakes of emergency planning and the importance of transparent, accountable methods in public-serving systems.

The colloquium series aims to deepen cross-disciplinary collaboration and to advance data-driven approaches that make disaster response not only more efficient, but also more democratic and just. Future topics and dates will be announced soon.

If you are interested in participating in future colloquiums, reach out to the DTD Lab, the Biocomplexity Institute, or the Contagion Science program.