This research program integrates research and practices in the arts, design, humanities, social sciences and computer science to understand and address the interplay and interfaces between humans and digital technologies. The program builds on a long history of researching the challenges and opportunities offered by IT in human activities, processes, organisations, cultures and social spaces. We welcome all interested researchers and practitioners, at any stage of their career, to become a member of the program.
Key issues
The research program contributes constructively and critically to map and investigate the new challenges posed by digital technologies. The program’s researchers contribute to understanding and shaping technologies (for organisations, culture, social spaces, art, etc.). The program's aims are to support research that:
- Reflects on and contributes to technological innovation and the development of the humanities.
- Develops new knowledge practices and methods for scientific inquiry to respond to societal and technological challenges.
- Explore the dynamic relationship between technology and humans using concepts derived from fields including science and technology studies, philosophy of technology, organisation theory, anthropology, feminist and queer theory, design, software studies, environmental studies, critical data studies, digital methods, surveillance studies, aesthetics, and more.
- Draws on a variety of methods and methodologies, from theoretical analyses to practice-based research, fieldwork and ethnographic study to experiments with and development of technologies.
- Includes a socio-technical and other-than-human focus on technologies and materiality as ecologies and assemblages active in shaping our common/contemporary worlds.
Activities
The program will work to foster a constructive, inspiring, inclusive and creative environment for research supporting collaborations between researchers in the program by developing cross-disciplinary and cross- departmental collaborations.
- Support especially early career researchers in shaping a research career, including but not limited to funding application strategies
- Collaborate with the PhD-programs to support PhDs and post-docs in relation to support activities, career development, application support/workshops, etc.
- Develop a strategy to encourage and support female and under- represented groups among researchers and to diversify research topics within the broad field of the research program
- Create and maintain a common identity across centres and units through common thematic events, e.g., on cross-disciplinary themes, events where members can share their research. Including a focus on shorter and untraditional forms (pitches, one-minute madness, common noticeboards, etc.).
- Support bottom-up initiatives and new emerging research interests and ad-hoc activities.
- Organise events related to research processes, e.g., writing and idea-development workshops, facilitating collaboration between researchers, and meetings with external partners, etc.
- Address well-being, cross-cutting pressures, stress, work-life balance, and how we experience ourselves as researchers at the university.
- Continual focus on research freedom and basic research activities.
- Provide welcoming and onboarding for new researchers with a meeting/conversation on possibilities for support.
- Develop internal peer mentorship schemes to support research as work-practice.
- Collaborate with the centres of the research program through yearly meetings with center leaders on research objectives, etc.
- Initiate activities related to research applications: new calls, peer review of applications, research support.
- Bi-yearly meetings with the Head of Department that includes a general discussion of the staff development dialogue, relations between research and teaching programs, discussion on the department’s and School’s strategy and future plans.
- Participate in the School’s research council and orientation back to the research program members of the activities in the council, including the School’s strategy, activities and suppor
- Collaborate with neighboring research programs on shared activities and agendas.
