Nikolaus Pöchhacker

I am a postdoctoral researcher exploring digitalization phenomena on the intersection of AI, democracy, and law. In my work, which is mostly qualitative research, I bring various disciplinary perspectives together, including STS, media theory, computer science, and legal studies. Already early on in my academic career I have been introduced to the marvelous community of STS with its broad spectrum of perspectives, approaches, and practices – and call it my intellectual home ever since. I consider myself lucky to be part of such a welcoming and thriving community. This was also the reason why during my doctoral studies I served as a PhD representative at the TU Munich and as a board member of STS Austria. With my application for the EASST council I want to take these efforts a step further and give back to the European STS community that has given me so much in the past.

A focus that I am very much interested in is the support for early career researchers (ECR). STS is very aware about the internal processes and structures of science as a social field. Especially when it comes to the struggles for ECRs without permanent positions. I would love to explore the possibilities of extending already existing support for STS researchers at this career stage and find new ones (e.g. mentoring or career workshops), especially with a focus on online formats, as not all ECRs can visit the big conferences.