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PhD student

Background

Before starting work on my PhD in 2009, I completed an MA in media and culture at the University of Amsterdam (1998-2002) and graduated from acting school De Trap in Amsterdam (2003-2006). From 2003 onwards, I worked in the fields of security management, subtitling, localization and product and marketing management before commencing my venture into research at the STePS department.

Research

The provisional title of my project is 'co-creation as innovation: agency of users in Living Lab practices’. This project is part of the Dutch Research Delta consortium, specifically the social innovation track. In this track, PhD research is focused on understanding which ICT-services are beneficial to our economic and societal life and how they are adopted.

One of the promises of and reasons as to why Living Labs are developed is to ensure that new ICT products and services cater to actual user needs. A Living Lab can be described as an organization (a public-private partnership), a platform (i.e. a European-wide network) and as a methodology. In terms of methodology, two of the main characteristics are user centricity - in the shape of co-creation- and the inclusion of daily life as a setting for design. The initial focus of the project will be to assess what space Living Labs leave for users to creatively influence design processes. Theoretically, the project can be placed within the field of science and technology studies, working from the perspectives of actor network theory, the social adoption of ICT and situated action. Currently a first project plan is underway, as is a selection of Living Lab case studies.

My promoter and supervisor are Prof. Dr. Nelly Oudshoorn and Dr. Ir. Ellen van Oost.

Teaching

Technology assessment van ICT (2009-2010)

Networks

Member of the Netherlands Graduate School of Science, Technology and Modern Culture (WTMC)

Member of the Dutch Research Delta

Other activities

PhD representative on the WTMC board

Publications