Avner Kantor
Publication Alert: 🎉 My first PhD article, “Conversations with Data: How Data Journalism Affects Online Comments in the New York Times”, is out!
I am a PhD candidate at the Internet Research Lab of the University of Haifa, specializing in the field of computational social science. My academic background is in philosophy and education, while my work experience includes data science and software engineering.
My research interests revolve around civic engagement and critical thinking in both theory and practice. Over the years, my approach to these topics has evolved—from one rooted in philosophy to one that values data literacy, and practically from education to data science work.
As an undergraduate student, I initiated a program to train philosophy students to teach philosophy in primary schools. During this time, I organized the 13th biennial conference of the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (2007) and initiated an international workshop for philosophy students from Israeli and German universities (2010).
In my graduate studies, I use NLP and SNA techniques to explore data literacy. I created an open data platform for the OECD’s PISA database (2020), enabling audiences to explore evidence-based education findings. My current research analyzes data journalism user comments to understand how human behavior is shaped by data resources.
Last but not least, I enjoy editing the Hebrew Wikipedia. I believe Wikipedia is a powerful way to change the world, as the knowledge I share influences other people’s understanding. This is also how I met my wife. I was honored to be part of a video for Wikipedia’s 20th birthday.