What is your professional background?

I have a master's degree in Information Studies from Aarhus University, specializing in the relationship between people, society, and technology.

Throughout my academic background, I have focused particularly on Science and Technology Studies (STS), which has given me a critical and nuanced perspective on how technologies not only influence human behavior and ways of understanding, but are also shaped by social and cultural practices.

In my thesis, I examined the reciprocal relationship between humans and language models such as ChatGPT, and how such technologies challenge traditional distinctions between user and system – and the consequences thereof.

What is your connection to SHAPE, and what is your current research project at SHAPE about?

I am employed as a research assistant at SHAPE and am affiliated with the research project "The Digitally Supported Democratic Dialogue on Urban Development", which is led by Peter Lauritsen and carried out in collaboration with Aarhus Municipality and CAVI. The project investigates how digital technologies can be used to support more inclusive and dialogue-based forms of citizen involvement in urban development, with a particular focus on local planning for the green transition.

My work consists of mapping existing research in the field of digitally supported democracy and citizen involvement, as well as co-developing and testing prototypes of technologies that will strengthen the dialogue between citizens, politicians, and administrators. The project is based on the need to incorporate more perspectives into decision-making processes as cities such as Aarhus grow and face complex sustainability challenges.

SHAPE's role in the project is to ensure that the digital solutions we develop are based on knowledge about digital democracy and support open, equal, and democratic processes.

What impact do you expect your project to have on society or your field of research?

The project aims to strengthen democratic participation in urban development by developing digital solutions that make it easier for citizens to engage in decision-making processes—even in complex and technical issues such as local planning for green transition. By creating more accessible, dialogue-based, and transparent forms of citizen involvement, we hope to contribute to more inclusive and equitable urban development.

At the same time, the project has the potential to influence the field of research on digital democracy and citizen involvement by combining technological development with a critical, practice-oriented view of what democratic participation actually requires. We bring knowledge from STS and participatory design into the development of digital prototypes, and in this way, the project shows how technologies not only support but also shape the way we understand and practice democracy.