📢 Recent media activities and public engagement
31 January 2026
I’ve been actively engaging with media on drug markets, the drug supply chain, and drug policy — topics I enjoy discussing because they combine my ongoing research with real-world impact. In January 2026, I gave interviews in three media outlets where I talked about the operation of illicit drug markets, geopolitical developments, how the digitalisation changes drug markets, how supply chains adapt to globalisation and digitalisation, and what these dynamics mean for drug policy responses.
Below are the interviews where I share insights, data, and perspectives that I hope will inform both public debate and policy discussions.
scilog - the FWF Science Magazine: Illicit markets on the darknet: buying drugs by mouse click (28 January) and Illegale Märkte im Darknet: Drogenerwerb per Mausklick (28 January)
Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung: Die Auswirkungen auf den heimischen Drogenhandel (8 January) and Kokain-Alarm in Genua! Fracht auch für uns gedacht (10 January)
German newspaper BILD-Zeitung: Kommt jetzt weniger Kokain nach Deutschland? (7 January)
🔔 Call for Papers – 17th ESA Conference – RN09 Economic Sociology
11 January 2026
The Call for Papers of the ESA Research Network on Economic Sociology (RN09) for the 17th European Sociological Association Conference in Warsaw (25–28 August 2026) is open now. We welcome contributions that examine how economies, markets, organisations and technologies shape democratic life, solidarity and sustainability. Topics include but are not limited to inequality, digitalisation, finance, ecological transition, political economy and conceptual advances in economic sociology, with an emphasis on policy-relevant and solution-oriented research.
📝 Abstract Deadline: 9 February 2026 (extended)
📅 Conference Dates: 25–28 August 2026
👉 Call for Abstracts (RN09): Click here
🌐 Conference website: https://www.europeansociology.org/conference/2026
👉 Abstract Submissions: https://www.conftool.com/esa2026/
Please share within your networks.
The coordinators of the ESA Research Network Economic Sociology (RN09) are Giacomo Bazzani (Florence University, Italy) and Alberto Veira Ramos (University Carlos III de Madrid, Spain). Advisory board members: Fatih Karakaya (Istanbul Univ., Turkey), Alexandra Keiner (Weizenbaum Institute, Berlin, Germany), Lillqvist Ella (University of Vaasa, Finland), Daniel Maman (Ben Gurion University, Israel), Matilde Masso (Univ. da Coruña, Spain), Marlena Rycombel (Univ. Warsaw, Poland), Meropi Tzanetakis (WU Vienna, Austria) and Mihai Varga (Free Univ. Berlin, Germany).
🔔 Call for Abstracts – Digital Criminology | STS Conference Graz 2026
15 December 2025
We warmly invite abstract submissions for the Digital Criminology session at the STS Conference Graz 2026 (4–6 May, TU Graz). The session brings together criminology, STS, sociology, media studies and related fields to explore how digital platforms, datafication, AI and hybrid socio-technical environments are reshaping crime, harm, justice and control. We particularly welcome theoretically informed and or empirically grounded contributions that move beyond narrow notions of “cybercrime” and engage with online/offline entanglements.
The Session is organised in collaboration with Piotr Siuda.
📝 Abstracts: 400 - 600 words
📅 Deadline: 27 January 2026
Full session details and submission information:
👉 Conference website: https://stsconf.tugraz.at
👉 Call for Abstracts (ID: 12): Click here
Feel free to share within your networks. We look forward to your contributions.
🚀 Research Assistant Position
5 November 2025
I am looking for a motivated Research Assistant to join my project team at the Institute for Sociology and Social Research, WU Vienna. The position (part-time, 10 hours/week) starts on 1 March 2026 for six months initially, with the possibility of extension.
📅 Application deadline: 18 November 2025
📩 Apply or reach out directly if you’re interested, or share this post with someone who might be a great fit!
For further details, please see the full job description here.
🔔 Call for Papers – SASE 2026 Mini-Conference
25 October 2025
We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the Mini-Conference ‘Power and Conflict in Illegal Markets’ as part of the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE), to be held in Bordeaux, 1–3 July 2026.
Organised in collaboration with Matías Dewey, Gabriel Feltran, Annette Hübschle, and Elena Butti, this mini-conference explores how actors navigate secrecy, coercion, and informal governance within illicit economies around the world. It aims to shed light on dynamics of conflict, accountability, and institutional adaptation across contexts where the boundaries of legality and power are continuously blurred.
📄 Call for Papers: Click here
📅 Submission deadline: 16 December 2025
🔗 Submit your abstract: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/78125/submitter
📍 Conference details (MC18): https://sase.org/events/2026-bordeaux/#mini-conferences
🎤 Speaking at the International Crime Science Conference 2025
24 October 2025
I’m delighted to share that I will be speaking at the International Crime Science Conference 2025, hosted by UCL on 18 November 2025. My talk, The Socio-Technical Embedding of AI-Facilitated Drug Distribution, explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping digital drug markets, both as a tool for innovation and as a source of new challenges for governance and regulation.
This year’s conference focuses on cyber-physical and hybrid threats, bringing together researchers and practitioners to examine emerging risks and responses across domains, from ransomware and disinformation to the misuse of AI and the security of intelligent machines. Expect stimulating discussions that bridge algorithms, ethics, and the social dimensions of technology.
📍 Venue: University College London
📅 Date: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
🔗 Find out more and register: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/app/ev/25013/
