Mission Statement

Internet users discuss, communicate, search, rate and buy on and with the WWW (World Wide Web). Our mission at WeST is to contribute to a better understanding of the technical and human behavioral dimensions of the WWW as a web of people and knowledge. We see the web as a complex, distributed, networked, and heterogeneous system of information technologies and services. Understanding the interplay of all these dimensions involves a multi-disciplinary view and a sound knowledge of methods, tools, and applications related to web technologies. Thus, our aim is to develop tools, methods, and applications that advance scientific and managerial understanding of the web and contribute to its design and evolution.

At WeST we are committed to high-class research with high academic and practical impact. We maintain a culture that is conducive to external exploitation of generated knowledge, for example, in the form of spin-offs. We are internationally oriented and retain multiple close research collaborations with various public and private research institutions.

Students at WeST obtain knowledge of the technical and relational functioning of the Web and gain a sound knowledge about methods and techniques to analyze the Web. Successful students will be able to apply in these methods and techniques in different contexts such as government, private companies or research institutions.

Doctoral researchers will find a research-driven environment with a plethora of support options. We are internationally oriented and facilitate frequent exchanges with partner institutions. Moreover, we support and demand participations at highly-ranked conferences for which researchers will find assistance at Post-Doc and Professor levels.

Our research is characterized by intense research collaborations with domestic and international research partners. We are concerned with up-to-date research questions and challenges and committed to practical solutions. Privately and governmentally funded research projects provide us with the resources necessary to reach our goal of high-class research.

Interested industry partners will find a valuable and trustworthy partner in WeST. We are interested in long-lasting relationships and offer a number of different services concerning the Web. If you are interested, have a look at our page on services.