From the director
Agnotology is probably not a term with which everyone is familiar, nor has it yet been selected as Word of the Year. However, it is a relevant and timely concept because it refers to the deliberate creation of ignorance or doubt. At a time when science, research and knowledge are under attack in many countries, universities and institutes for advanced study must invest more in protecting and advancing research, and in engaging with the public.
I am very glad and proud that IAS, together with its fellows, affiliates, partners, and UvA faculties, organised a wonderful series of events and initiated exciting new lines of research, including ‘Empirical Ethics’, ‘Sustainability and Speculation’, ‘The Aesthetics of Infrastructures’, and ‘Complexity and Climate Change’. IAS is also involved in education. The Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies launched the new master’s programme ‘Complex Systems and Policy’ in close collaboration with us. We also welcomed Harpo ’t Hart, an artist from the Embassy of the North Sea, as our new Artist-in-Residence. Harpo is particularly engaged with giving nature a voice and engaging with various publics. There is so much more to share! You can learn all about it in this Annual Report 2025, which, as always, is designed as a magazine.
‘Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future’, as Niels Bohr once said. However, we are fairly certain that 2026 will bring some major highlights to IAS. The new Research Priority Area, ‘Shaping Interfaces between Science and the Public’, will introduce new seminar series and collaborative working at IAS. Moreover, IAS itself will celebrate its 10th anniversary. This will be marked by the publication of the book The Edge of Knowing: Curiosity, Complexity and Collaboration, and the IAS Festival, taking place during the week of 18 May 2026.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Huub Dijstelbloem
Director
Foto: Bob Bronshoff