Research Statement

I am an Innovation Fellow at the Centre for Digital Citizens within Open Lab at the School of Computing, Newcastle University, where I explore the 'Ageless' digital citizen. My work is centered around the exploration of arts-based and creative research methods including text-, image- and perfomance-based methods such as storyboarding, story mapping, draw-write(-tell) and dance.

My interest is in arts as an embodied way of knowing, meaning-making and learning for both the researcher and the researched over the course of the whole research process. I am keen on exploring how this can be supported through technology and how it can enrich our means of expression, our exchange with others and self-reflection.

I am also a member of the ACM SIG CHI chapter on "Arts in HCI" which aims to engage with, and promote arts practice and methods to the wider HCI community as well as encourage collaboration, support and mentoring for those working between the arts and HCI research space.

Work Experience

10/2022-present: Innovation Fellow (Full Time), Centre for Digital Citizens, Open Lab, School of Computing, Newcastle University, UK

  • project on self-organised learning environments for young refugees and asylum seekers
  • project on Tabletop role-playing for inclusive design
  • project on arts engagement and digital technologies to foster conversation (sharing of stories/feedback/comments) and increase engagement in an independent library
  • project on digital technologies to ascertain student opinion in schools
  • project on co-designing social robots in response to community issues
  • teaching lab on Human-Computer Interaction and Interaction Design
  • supervision of Bachelor thesis on designing and developing a mindfulness app
  • supervision of Master thesis on HCI (ongoing, topic to be determined)

05/2022-05/2023: Teaching Assistant (Part Time), Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, UK

  • Computer Systems Architecture 2, CyberSecurity
  • assistant on project for developing a taxonomy of 21st century learning skills (C21 skills)

2021: Human-Computer Interaction Consultant (Contractor)

12/2016-04/2018: Research Officer (Part Time), CAAR Centre for Applied Autism Research, School of Psychology, University of Bath, UK

01/2016-10/2016: Programmer (Part Time), School of Psychology, University of Bath, UK

10/2013-04/2016: Teaching Assistant (Part Time), Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, UK

  • System Requirements & Design, Designing Interactive Systems, Collaborative Systems

05/2015-09/2015: Programmer (Full Time), Department of Computer Science and School of Psychology, University of Bath, UK

10/2013-04/2016: Invigilator (Part Time), Department of Computer Science, School of Management and other Departments, University of Bath, UK

03/2013-09/2013: Research Collaborator (Full Time), School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol & Bristol Robotics Laboratory, UK

  • Full graduate scholarship funded by Leonardo da Vinci
  • joint attention in human-human and human-robot interaction, focus: gaze behavior

08/2012-03/2013: Research Assistant (Full Time), Serious Games Institute SGI, Coventry, UK

08/2009-07/2012: Student Assistant/Manager of the Games Master Class (Part Time)

  • Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, Children's Media Department, Erfurt, Germany
  • research seminar on digital games, with students of various disciplines and professionals of the digital games industry

04/2008-07/2012: Student Assistant (Part Time)

  • Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, Children's Media Department, Ilmenau and Erfurt, Germany
  • interdisciplinary research in digital games: game taxonomies, interactivity and intelligent agents
  • qualitative evaluations, receptive and active media work with children, adolescents and adults
  • Girls' Day workshops, Website Evaluation workshop, Fraunhofer Talent School workshop

10/2006-03/2007: Student Intern (Full Time)

  • FP7 funded IPerG project, Trans-Reality Game Laboratory, Högskolan på Gotland, Visby, Sweden
  • Full undergraduate scholarship funded by Leonardo da Vinci
  • concept, technical design and implementation of a digital game prototype

Education

2013-2024: PhD in Computer Science (Part Time), Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, UK

  • topic: empirical and theoretical approach towards arts-based research methods

2012: Diplom-Informatikerin (Full Time), Fakultät Informatik und Automatisierung, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany

  • research-based integrated MSc in Computer Science
  • topic: digital gameplaying traces and personality traits

Memberships

  • member of the ACM SIG CHI chapter 'Arts in HCI'

Scholarships, Grants and Awards:

2015 Public Engagement Grant, University of Bath

2013-2019 Full Graduate School Scholarship, University of Bath

2013 Full graduate scholarship awarded by Leonardo da Vinci EU programme

2012 "Ehrenamtspreis" award for volunteer work in university politics of the Student Council/Student Union, Ilmenau University of Technology

2006-2007 Full undergraduate student scholarship awarded by Leonardo da Vinci EU programme

Academic Skills and Competencies

2024 Reviewer for AltCHI'24 and DIS'24

2023 Reviewer for AltCHI'23 and for CSCW'23

2015/2016 Representative of Postgraduates Students, Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, UK

2015 Reviewer for British HCI Conference'15

2014/2015 Coordinator of the Human-Computer Interaction Seminar, Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, UK

2014

  • Reviewer for British HCI Conference'14 and Foundations of Digital Games Conference FDG'14
  • Mentee in the "Work Shadowing in Higher Education" program of the Postgraduate Skills Center, University of Bath, UK

2013/2014

  • Member of the gender equality Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, UK
  • Coordinator of the Postgraduate Seminar Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, UK

2009 Speaker Acquisition for the International Student Week ISWI 2009, Initiative Solidarische Welt Ilmenau e.V., Germany

2008/2009

  • Elected Student Member of the Council of Gender Equality Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany
  • Student representative in the appointment committee of the Juniorprofessur (Assistant Professor) for "Software Architectures and Product Lines", Department of Computer Science and Automation", Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany

2007/2008 STEM Mentor for High School Student/Pupils at Cybermentor Project, University of Regensburg/University of Ulm, Germany

2006 Member of the event realization team of the "Kinderuni" Children's University, Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany

2005/2006

  • Elected Member of the Student Council, Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany
  • Elected Member of the Faculty Student Organisation, Faculty of Comp.Sci. & Automation, Ilmenau Univ. of Techn., Germany
  • Fresher Tutor, Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany

Interests:

  • Creative and Arts-based Methods including visual methods, drawing, storytelling, storymapping, dance
  • Participatory and Co-Design Methods
  • Arts in HCI
  • First Person/Autobiographical Research Methods
  • Software Design and Engineering
  • Graphic Facilitation, Visualisation of Data/Information/Knowledge
  • Comics Studies
  • Death and Bereavement Studies
  • Psychology (emotion, personality, identity, self, autism)
  • Speech and Language Therapy (aphasia)