Design Talk (dot IE)

Professor Stefan Klein and Dr. Simeon Vidolov present their paper, "Techno-colonization of scholarly communication: A call to reclaim control".

This paper contributes to wider research into how extractive publishing systems have colonized scholarly communication to gain not only infrastructural control but increasingly epistemic control as well. For far too long, big publishing companies have trapped academics in a vicious circle of parasitic business models employing monopolistic pricing and arbitrary gate-keeping where researchers provide the labour, only for corporate giants to end up owning the published element of scientific intellectual property (often publicly funded) and consequently, control the visibility of research outputs. These companies have moved beyond publishing; they are now providers of critical, AI and data-analytics enabled research infrastructures. They are reshaping scientific knowledge production, academic values and increasingly claim epistemic authority.

That such a system can be used to publish research so critical of its inherent structure is both ironic and potentially positive. The authors call for each of us to reject the role of passive participant in our own exploitation. They conclude by calling for us to devise ways to dismantle these corporate infrastructures and reclaim the autonomy of the scientific community. Whether you are a student, a researcher, or a faculty member, join us to discuss how we can build a future for academia that prioritises collective knowledge over commercial surveillance.

The underlying paper(s) are both Open Access, links below:
· Vidolov, S., & Klein, S. (2026). Techno-colonization of scholarly communication: A call to reclaim control. Organization, Article 13505084261416192. https://doi.org/10.1177/13505084261416192
· Ngwenyama, O., Klein, S., & Rowe, F. (2026). Platform Capture of Scientific Knowledge Production: Publishers’ Dominance, Generative AI and Subsumption of Academic Labor. European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS). https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2026.2642660

Biographies

Simeon Vidolov is a Faculty Member in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business at the University of Galway. His research examines how digital technologies transform ways of working and organizing, with a focus on embodied and affective experiences. His work challenges dominant narratives of technological progress and interrogates the harmful and often normalized consequences of contemporary digital infrastructures for individuals, organizations, and society.

Stefan Klein is Professor emeritus for Interorganizational Systems at the School of Business and Economics, University of Münster, Germany. His main research areas are information infrastructures, the transformation of work, risks of digitalization, and digital capitalism. He studies practices of technology use and organizational transformation from an individual to an industry level.

The event was held on 6 May 2026 in University College Dublin, Ireland.

Acknowledgements
Music
Title: Story
Artist: Meydän
Source: https://bit.ly/2P5CSCv​
License: CC BY

Cover Art
Title: Smurfit-Zartis
Artist: Photo credit: Allen Higgins. Used with permission.
Source: SimeonStefan-seminar.pptx
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Podcast License
Design Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
By taking part, you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted by Sean Lynch and Akshara Jonna.
In this episode, the Design Thinking class talk with Liam Brady and Thomas Hamill from the UCD Estate Services team about the complexities of modern campus design, focusing on accessibility features that go "beyond compliance" and how these lessons are applied to the wider campus day-to-day.
We take a look inside the design process for the new O’Connor Centre for Learning on UCD’s Belfield campus, from the preliminary brief to the final commissioning.
· On to the subject for today, the new O’Connor Centre for Learning. Can you walk us through the story of this building ‘as a project’, the "Before, During, After"?
· Would you say that buildings like the Moore Centre (where we are right now) and the O’Connor are high-tech buildings? In what way? How?
· Going Beyond Part M: You’ve talked about how building regulations (Part M) provide a baseline for accessibility. How did you move from simple compliance to a design that truly fosters "belonging" for all users?
· You mentioned a distinction between "features" and "design elements". How do we ensure accessibility is baked into the architecture rather than just bolted on as an afterthought?
· Does user feedback from the wider campus influence the "Fixes" and "Audits" of new projects?
· The Logistics of Mobility (MOB): From toilets and doors to steps and lighting - what are the small details that make the biggest difference in a student's daily experience?
· In class we have heard that designers should focus on the "smile" (the U-shaped curve) rather than the "sad face" (the standard bell curve). In the context of the O’Connor Centre, how did you practically shift the team's focus toward the extremes of the population rather than just the "average" student?
· The Paradox of Safety: A significant portion of your work involves "features we hope are never used," like fire refuge points, emergency intercoms, and smoke-filled space lighting. How can we ensure these features work, are intuitive and accessible during a high-stress emergency?
· Curb cutouts and retrofitting the "Smile": It’s one thing to build the O’Connor Centre from scratch with these curves in mind, but how do you apply the "smile curve" logic to the "day-to-day" maintenance and "fixes" of older, more "complicated" UCD buildings?
· Audit to Action: Can you talk about how "Audits" can be used as productive levers to rebalance our design focus?
· Any questions from the audience?
Thank you both for taking the time to talk with us today.

Notes:
UCD Estate Services project page - https://www.ucd.ie/estates/operations/ucdoconnorcentreforlearning/
RKD profile page for the UCD O’Connor Centre for Learning - https://rkd.ie/work/ucd-centre-for-future-learning/
From the Government of Ireland, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage -
Building Regulations Part M: Access and Use requirements
OHAC - O’Herlihy Access Consultancy - https://www.accessconsultancy.ie

Acknowledgements
Music
Title: Story
Artist: Meydän
Source: https://bit.ly/2P5CSCv​
License: CC BY

Cover Art
Title: Teleport into O’Connor
Artist: Allen Higgins. Photos prompt merged with Gemini. Classroom in sharp focus overlaid into the O’Connor atrium space in bokeh effect.
Source: TomLiam-seminar.pptx
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Podcast License
Design Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
By taking part, you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CITO Seminar: The Sanctuary Hypothesis in Information Systems — Blockchain and AI as Strategic Havens for Non-Dominant Organisations

Guest: Jean-Fabrice Lebraty
Host: Donncha Kavanagh

Recorded on Tuesday, September 23, 4:00 - 5:00pm in Q2.33 Lochlann Quinn School of Business, UCD Belfield Campus.

Abstract

This talk introduces a theory of dominant vs non-dominant organisations in digital ecosystems. Dominant actors shape standards, data flows, and platform rules; non-dominant actors operate under asymmetric dependency and limited control over technological stacks. I argue that, for the non-dominant, the core IS problem is not efficiency but survivability—the capacity to endure adverse, shifting, or hostile digital environments. Survivability requires a digital sanctuary: an infrastructure and set of practices that preserve critical informational assets beyond the reach of dominant gatekeepers. I then present two sanctuary technologies. First, blockchain, leveraging immutability, persistence, and verifiable anchoring to secure records and proofs against unilateral alteration. Second, AI via model-level embedding, where strategic data placement in training corpora and model fine-tunes creates durable informational traces and capabilities resilient to upstream platform changes. I conclude with design principles and governance implications for building and stewarding such sanctuaries.

Keywords: digital sanctuary; survivability; blockchain; AI/model embedding

Bio
Jean-Fabrice LEBRATY is a Full Time Professor of Management Sciences at iaelyon School of Management (Jean Moulin University Lyon 3). He specialises in information systems management. His research focuses on decision-making in extreme contexts, crowdsourcing, social networks, and innovative technologies such as blockchain or AI. Since April 2023, he is in charge of the Magellan research laboratory, which comprises 80 researchers and 50 doctoral candidates.

Notes:
Jean-Fabrice Lebraty (at Jean Moulin University Lyon 3) https://iae.univ-lyon3.fr/lebraty-jean-fabrice
A cross-pod release with CITO Conversations (on the web, Spotify or Apple Podcasts)

Acknowledgements
Music
Title: Moody Break 01
Artist: Allen Higgins
Source: a-Wed10Oct2024
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Includes samples from Ableton Live by Ableton AG and by KORG Inc.

Cover Art
Title: Room Q233
Photo credit: Allen Higgins.
Source: Jean-Fabrice-seminar.pptx
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Podcast License
Design Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
By taking part, you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Design Talk.
In this episode Killian O'Connor and Albena Krasteva from Zartis were in to talk to Masters students at the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. Killian and Albena presented a candid behind-the-scenes analysis of Zartis' initial struggles adopting AI within their own organisation. They went on to explain how their experience has led to insights that shape Zartis's AI deployment strategies and use cases for clients. Zartis is a technology services company headquartered in Cork, Ireland and is an official Anthropic partner, supporting organisations that are building with Claude and Claude Code.

Notes:
Zartis – https://www.zartis.com
Anthropic – https://www.anthropic.com
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business – https://www.smurfitschool.ie

Acknowledgements
Music
Title: Calculated Awakening - "Genetic Algorithms Evolution," in the style of a Bytebeat, anchored by a base guitar.
Artist: Allen Higgins
Source: https://bit.ly/2QkBzvI
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Includes samples by KORG Inc. and Lyria 3 via Gemini.

Cover Art
Title: Smurfit-Zartis
Artist: Allen Higgins. Photo credits: Yu Su, Denis Buleiko and Allen Higgins. Used with permission.
Source: Zartis-seminar.pptx
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Podcast License
Design Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
By taking part, you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this, our first episode on ‘research design’ and ‘research designing’ I talk with Maya Gaul and Dunk Murphy from the Creative Futures Academy at UCD. Maya is completing a BA in Creative & Cultural Industries. Her final year project combines research with performance. The subject is Creative Community; an exploration of Irish Arts organisations and how they produce ‘belonging’. Maya talked about her plan for the production - to include elements of documentary, performance and interaction culminating in an event that digs into what arts and inclusion means for practitioners and audience.

Notes:
The Creative Futures Academy - https://creativefuturesacademy.ie

UCD’s BA Major In Creative & Cultural Industries -
https://www.ucd.ie/artshumanities/newsandevents/ucdlaunchesnewbaincreativeculturalindustries/

Acknowledgements
Music
Title: Departures
Artist: Portrayal
Source: https://bit.ly/2QkBzvI
License: CC BY 4.0

Cover Art
Title: In the Think Lab
Artist: Allen Higgins. Photo credits: Dunk Murphy. Used with permission.
Source: MayaGaul.pptx
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Podcast License
Design Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
By taking part, you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.