Caroline Gjørtsvang Kock is new research assistant in SHAPE
As a research assistant in SHAPE, Caroline will collaborate with center director Peter Lauritsen, CAVI and Aarhus Municipality to investigate how digital technologies can support the democratic conversation in participatory policy processes.
With an MSc in Information Science from Aarhus University, Caroline has experience working at the intersection of people, technology and society. She has studied society, everyday life, organizations and practices using both ethnographic and digital methods. In addition, she has worked with user-driven design, ensuring that she always has the needs of citizens in focus when developing new technological solutions.
Caroline wrote her thesis on how ChatGPT affects relationships between people and the surrounding community. During her studies, she also studied how technology can be used to engage young citizens in urban development. She brings that experience to her new role at SHAPE, where she will be part of the project 'Den digitalt understøttede samtale' (translated as 'The digitally supported conversation') in collaboration with center director Peter Lauritsen, CAVI, and Aarhus Municipality.
In the project, she will investigate how technology can improve the dialogue between citizens and Aarhus Municipality. She will also contribute to the development and testing of a functional prototype. The purpose of the platform is to make it easier for citizens to be heard and participate in the development of the municipality's physical environment.
The project is part of Aarhus Municipality's new model for citizen involvement and aims to ensure a more inclusive urban development.