DISCO Affiliate Program

Accepting Applications for 2025 DISCO Affiliate Cohort

The DISCO Network Affiliate Program will bring together a yearly cohort of individuals whose work — whether in research, teaching, art practice, or media production — aligns with a yearly theme about a pressing issue at the intersection of technology and social justice. 

The DISCO Affiliate theme for 2025 is "Technoskepticism": how do marginalized communities navigate the balance between embracing and rejecting emerging technologies? 

DISCO Network Affiliates will participate in the program for one calendar year and attend a series of quarterly workshops facilitated by the DISCO Network Faculty. These workshops will help DISCO Affiliates foster connections with colleagues working on similar projects, and Affiliates will receive individualized feedback on their projects aligned with the theme of technoskepticism.

DISCO Affiliates are required to attend at least three virtual workshops per calendar year. Workshops will take place on Zoom and will be scheduled on Thursdays from 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET.

The DISCO Network will promote Affiliate work aligned with the year's theme across its communication platforms. Affiliates are strongly encouraged to build additional connections with the rest of the network and regularly attend DISCO Network events. DISCO Affiliates are added to the DISCO mailing list to receive regular communications about DISCO Network activities. Additionally, DISCO Network Affiliates will have their profiles added to the DISCO website and can indicate their affiliation on their resume/CV.

We invite anyone — from any institution — who is interested in exploring how digital technology perpetuates inequality and in creating new interventions to apply for DISCO Network affiliation. We welcome applications from researchers, artists, educators, technologists, policymakers, practitioners, and community members at any career stage/level of study and at any institution. We especially encourage those who have difficulty finding community and fellowship at their home institutions or local contexts to apply. 

Applications for the 2025 cohort will be open until Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM. Applications will be reviewed by a team of DISCO Network staff and faculty. Applicants will be contacted with the status of their application in January 2025. 

If you have any questions about the program or the application, contact Cherice Chan, DISCO Network Program Coordinator, at chericec@umich.edu.