In Focus: Linus Hany structures data and advocates for honesty in handling it

Linus Hany has always had a flair for logic and precise thinking. The child of a working-class family, he initially completed an apprenticeship as an electronics engineer, but soon realized, “That’s not who I am.” He was more interested in people and politics than in technical devices. So he completed his professional Maturität and began his studies at the University of Zurich at the age of 23. 

There, he attended lectures in various fields such as ethnology and history. “Those, on the other hand, weren’t precise or technical enough for me,” he says. He therefore decided to study psychology, as the combination of topics in the humanities with scientific methods appealed to him. He also took a minor in philosophy. “It interested me a lot, but it was too abstract for a major.”

Avoiding false conclusions

Hany’s interest in the foundations of academic knowledge came in very handy when he was studying psychology: statistics gripped him from his bachelor’s studies onward. He enjoys drawing conclusions from data. “However, the research process is complex. There is no single method that works for everything. The important thing is when and why I apply which method to which data,” says the 30-year-old.

Hany wants to use his research to develop and apply new, suitable methods and to better understand existing ones in order to avoid false conclusions. This is particularly important in our data-driven world. “Supposedly, machine learning can solve anything. But we often don’t yet have an understanding of how and when a new method actually works.” 

Missing the target through lack of context

This is particularly relevant in psychology, as it works with data that come from humans. This kind of data is usually complex, intricate and heavily influenced by context. That’s why it’s important to use the right methods when handling it.

“Our research shows, for example, that certain machine learning methods distort the meaning of contextual data,” explains Hany. A lack of context can lead to misinterpretations, for example in the case of performance data. Children with poor school grades may not be lazy or less intelligent, but simply lack a quiet place to work at home. If these factors are ignored, you run the risk of drawing the wrong conclusions – with the result that education policy measures, for example, don’t solve the real problem.

These methodological biases become particularly sensitive when they are incorporated into psychological theories, applications and future research. After all, psychology not only wants to predict phenomena, but also to understand them.

Ethical principles for handling data

Hany describes the world of research as a system that goes beyond simply generating knowledge. “As a researcher, you have to recognize interdependencies in society. This includes the ethical obligation not to see yourself as separate from everything else,” he emphasizes, because, “Those who have the authority over data and interpretation bear an immense responsibility.” Honesty is important to him and he advocates for the courage to admit what you don’t know. As he points out, “I’m not entirely sure” is a sentence you rarely encounter in an academic text.

Hany came to the University of Basel because of Mirka Henninger, who is supervising his doctoral dissertation. He knows the Professor of Statistics & Data Science in the Faculty of Psychology from his time as a student at the University of Zurich. “I find her research very exciting. If this opportunity hadn’t arisen, I doubt I’d have tackled a doctoral dissertation,” says Hany.

Sporting activities for people with psychological disabilities

Linus Hany’s other passion is sport, which he combines with social engagement. He is president of a sports club for disabled people and, as a sports director, puts together training sessions and events for people with psychological disabilities. “In Switzerland, there is a wide range of sporting activities for people with cognitive or physical disabilities. Those with psychological disabilities, on the other hand, often fall through the cracks,” he says. Supporting these people and thus helping to close this gap is very important to him. He came to this commitment through sport: “I was asked to lead a sports group,” he says. “That’s when I became really interested in the topic.”

Hany is now also working on research projects in this area, one of which is “Inclusion in Sport: Alcohol Prevention for People with Disabilities” (ISAMB), which aims to raise awareness of the dangers and risks of alcohol consumption. Another project examines the sporting behavior of people with paraplegia. “These activities allow me to combine the value of research with the humanistic values that interested me so much while studying philosophy.”