Program

UrbanRec 2024 will be a half-day, in-person workshop with various activities, including a keynote, paper sessions, and plenary discussions.

Keynote: Annelien Smets

Annelien Smets is Research Professor and Senior Researcher at imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Her research focuses on serendipity and recommender systems, both in media markets and urban environments. Currently, she is PI of the research project Serendipity Engine (Research Foundation Flanders), which aims to support societal stakeholders in designing recommender systems that foster serendipity in public contexts. Additionally, she serves as track lead in the VUB Strategic Research Program on media economics and recommender systems. Her recent work explores how urban recommender systems can enhance public space experiences by promoting serendipitous encounters, contributing to both individual well-being and societal cohesion. Since 2021, she serves as co-chair of the Serendipity Academic Researchers Network. In 2023, Annelien received the ACM Women in RecSys Journal Paper of the Year Award for her work on multi-stakeholder recommender systems.

Paper Sessions

Stay tuned for more information closer to the workshop.