DReMSS Sessions
Farewell to the Methods and Research Meetings → Welcome to the DReMSS Sessions!
After many years of stimulating exchanges in the Methods and Research Meetings, we are excited to launch their successor: the DReMSS Sessions. This new series builds on the same spirit of methodological exchange and innovation, but with a refreshed format and broader scope.
The Developments in Research and Methods in the Social Sciences (DReMSS) Platform coordinates and showcases research collaborations between the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (SSP) at the University of Lausanne and FORS, the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences. A key empirical strand of this joint research programme is centred around survey methods and methodological innovations linked to quantitative social science data collection and analysis.
The DReMSS Sessions bring together researchers to share cutting-edge methodological developments, tackle survey and data analysis challenges, and learn from leading experts in the field.
The sessions take one of three formats:
Twice per semester, researchers affiliated to the DReMSS platform and FORS will present the results of recent methodological research or demonstrate analytic methods using specific datasets in a webinar format, providing an opportunity to showcase our work to a broader, international audience.
Do you need help with survey design or data analysis challenges? Would you like input on the design of methodological research linked to your survey or with analyses? Once a semester, we will meet to discuss specific methodological challenges in our work, providing an opportunity for survey researchers to consult and get feedback on work-in-progress, and to share expertise.
Once a semester, we invite you to join DReMSS members for an in-depth skills refresh with leading experts in methodological developments currently impacting survey practice;
Calendar
| Session Dates | Planned Sessions |
|---|---|
| Monday 15 September 2025 (13.00–14.00) | Webinar (online) |
| Monday 20 October 2025 (13.00–14.30) | Survey Surgery (room 5621 Géopolis) |
| Monday 17 November 2025 (13.00–14.00) | Webinar (online) |
| Monday 15 December 2025 (13.00–16.00) | Expert Workshop (room 5621 Géopolis) |
| Monday 23 February 2026 (13.00–14.00) | Webinar (online) |
| Monday 23 March 2026 (13.00–14.30) | Survey Surgery (room 5621 Géopolis) |
| Monday 20 April 2026 (13.00–14.00) | Webinar (online) |
| Monday 18 May 2026 (13.00–16.00) | Expert Workshop (room 5621 Géopolis) |
Save the date for the first expert workshop
We are pleased to announce that the first expert Workshop will take place on Monday 15 December 2025 from 13.00-16.00, Room 5621 Géopolis, UNIL entitled:
Integrating Generative AI in Questionnaire Design, Evaluation and Testing by Caroline Roberts (DReMSS, UNIL), Patrick Sturgis and Thomas Robinson (Department of Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science)
In this workshop, we will discuss current developments in the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in survey research, focusing, on their application in questionnaire design, evaluation and testing (QDET) procedures, which we have been exploring in a joint project funded by the ESRC as part of the UK ‘Survey Futures’ Project – the Survey Data Collection Methods Collaboration.
The workshop will be hosted in person by Caroline Roberts, who will give an overview of different ways of integrating GenAI and LLMs to support QDET processes and address persistent challenges in survey measurement. Together with Patrick Sturgis and Thomas Robinson, they will present examples of prototype AI-based tools developed, tested and evaluated in the context of the project, which showcase different ways of making use of GenAI for QDET.
Patrick and Thomas will join us online to present a dynamic conversational interviewing tool that can be integrated in an online survey, designed for measuring occupation by automatically coding answers to open-ended questions and asking intelligent follow-up questions to assist classification. They will also discuss some practical ways for getting started with developing novel applications of GenAI in your survey/ research practice.
DReMSS Session Recordings
Missed a session? You can now watch the recordings of past DReMSS Sessions below:
Rethinking Gender Measures in Population Surveys (Roxane Mordasini and Stephanie Steinmetz), September 15, 2025
Fixed-Efects Panel Modelling in Practice (Oliver Lipps and Nicolas Sommet), November 17, 2025
The organisers
Caroline Roberts
Oliver Lipps
Stephanie Steinmetz
Marc Asensio Manjon
Bâtiment Géopolis,
+41 (0)21 692 37 30
